Surviving Sword Art Online
by II Megami II
Summary: Saya is 15 years old and finally realizes this isn't a game anymore. She has secluded herself from, the world due to ther scarred past, but will she allow her new friends into her heart? Or will she be bitter and betray them...A fight for survival is taking place and she is at the top of the food chain. But when a boy enters her life in SAO...she has something to live for.
1. Surving SAO

**A/N: Please note, this chapter was created before I knew how to post separate chapters, so it has ****multiple chapters together. The rest of them were posted separately :) **

PART1

Ch. 1_** Alone**_

It had been two weeks since getting trapped in this virtual world. Every day I had been barely scraping by. Everyone freaking out wasn't helping either. People were constantly breaking down right in front of me.

I'm Saya and I'm fifteen years old. I have long dark brown hair and hazel eyes. As a child, I believed that the entire world was against me… and I would always be alone. Now, I really was alone. Every day I spent in this so called "game was another" day that passed by in reality. I came into this game unskilled, so I knew I had to become strong to survive.

Every day since the announcement I had been training day and night. I had always been a lone wolf as a child… mainly because all of the other kids were afraid of me. I always held my ground and trained intensely every day in my room; by reading my father's fighting books. I never knew my mother because she left me after I was born, but my father had always protected me. But when I turned 10, he became very sick and died. But the last thing he told me before he died was to always keep fighting and to stay strong. Soon after his death, a foster family adopted me. they were very well off and I lived happily with them for 3 years, then it happened.

One night I woke up to a loud scream. I ran down the stairs, carefully dodging their precious collection of expensive vases. when I ran into the dining hall, I saw it. In a large puddle of blood laid my adopted mother. Next to her was a person with a hood over his or her face. The strange person suddenly revealed herself. It was a girl only about 18. She had midnight black hair and a pale face. She stared at me like I was just a piece of trash.

"Pathetic," she murmured. She unsheathed a two edged sword and pointed it at me as blood dripped from the tip. She slowly walked up to me ready to strike. But I was prepared and as she swung the sword at me I quickly dodged it. She looked at me in surprise. She suddenly sheathed her sword.

"Your parents, as you could say, did some evil things you would never understand.I was hired to kill them, which as you can see I succeeded in. But it's rare when someone can avoid my attack. Take the sword." she ordered. I reluctantly took the bloody sword. As I took it she smirked at me. "Your father is upstairs… kill him. Or I kill you," she said still smirking. As I walked up the stairs horrified my father's last words echoed in my head.

"Fight" That's what I am going to do. As I walked into the master room and saw him laying in bed fast asleep.

"Your mother keeps a diary with all of her life's deeds hidden inside. When you come of age I will get it to you. No person child should know what they have done. Do it and you will live to know why I am making you do this." she finished now watching me. I approached the bed quietly and looked at his face for the last time.

After several minutes the deed was done and I would survive.

"It would be such a shame if the daughter of these two people somehow escaped me…"the mysterious women finished. I just stared at her in horror.

"What did… they... do?" I asked slowly. She continued to stare at me not giving me an answer.

"All I can tell you for now girl, is that you have potential, don't wastet it. Your name…live up to it," as she said this she suddenly turned around and expertly jumped out the window. I stared in awe at what had just happened. I stared at the woman laying on the floor and without hesitating I walked out the front door. After a lot of research I realized this woman was an assassin that worked in a guild full of them hired to take out the evil people of the capitol. Apparently if the people were clean they left them alone.

I exited the house and never looked back. I searched for work and was able to support myself. After two years of maintaining a job to support myself and still trying my hardest to focus on school. I knew I couldn't continue living this way. But I continued living and I survived. I wasn't all alone though; I had one friend out of them all, his name was Hotaka. From the first day at school he pursued me. I rarely spoke to him but he never stopped talking to me. I didn't understand him at all. Everyone at school had been raving about the newest game Sword Art Online, how it was a virtual reality. I shunned all of the excitement for something so stupid. As I walked home the night of the release I noticed a box by my door. I pulled it inside and opened it. I sat there down by on my bed with the large box. There was a helmet and I realized that it was the game everyone had been talking about. I found a note inside, _Happy birthday Saya – from a friend. _I had forgotten today was my 15th birthday. 2 years since...I shook the thought away and excitedly opened the game and set it up.

As I quickly did as the directions asked I realized how foolish this was, but I deserved to relax. It was a Friday night and I planned to enjoy myself. I lay in bed and put the helmet on.

"Link Start!" I said loudly. My mind went blank. After waking up I understood why they called it a virtual reality… it was amazing.

Ch. 2 **A new friend**

The two weeks had passed so quickly I never realized… how alone I really was. I walked the streets of Floria alone. I heard people were creating guilds and recruiting people. I had taken this into consideration, but if I possibly got close to someone… I destroyed any possibility of it. I noticed as I walked towards the motel how many young couples there were. I watched them, wondering why they weren't fighting. They looked so relaxed it was saddening. This game was hell for me. All I could do was think about getting out and finding Hotaka. I arrived at my motel utterly exhausted. I had been training all week without stopping. My clothes were either shredded or burnt nowadays. As soon as I began drifting away there was a loud knock at my door. I quickly grabbed my sword and opened the door cautiously.

As I opened the door there stood a young man…maybe 15 or 16..he was about 5.9 and had seaweed green eyes. He had black short hair and wore black armor.

"May I come in?" he asked walking through the door. I stared at him … never taking my eyes off of him. "I have seen you train…I'm impressed," he said looking at my ripped shirts on the bed.

"What do you want…" I asked seriously as I sheathed my sword but not letting go of the hilt.

"I want to form a party with you…" he admitted.

"Why… me?" I asked still glaring at him.

"What lvl are you…" he asked lowering his voice a little.

"35…" I lied… I was actually 53…but I could never tell him that. He suddenly looked relieved.

"I am lvl 45… I have seen you around. You fight well for such a low lvl… I'm Katashi," he finished holding out his hand. I didn't greet him back and he awkwardly pretended to be itching his head laughing nervously. "Saya…" I answered back. He smiled back at me.

"So it's a deal then?" he asked.

"Just until you die," I said seriously.

"That's harsh," he said as he brought up the menu bar. A party invite appeared in front of me. Why am I doing this? I accepted it reluctantly. He just stared at me in the silence.

"I know it seems hellish now but… we will win," he said seriously. I was taken aback by this and I watched him leave the room. As I watched him leave my cheeks suddenly felt hot. I once again lay in bed. "Kat-ash-I" I repeated dreamily staring at the ceiling.

Ch.3 **Trust**

The following day I ran to the market asking around for the best place to buy armor. As I roamed the streets I suddenly received a message. It was from Katashi.

"Meet me at the bar near your Motel," I read out loud. Doing as he asked I sprinted towards the bar to see Katashi impatiently waiting for me. I walked up to him and he went into his menu bar and armor appeared in his hands. Well not really armor. It was aqua blue with a black line going down the sides. I equipped it and it was flexible and comfortable. It covered my upper and lower body, but it left my shoulders and part of my back bare which was a little embarrassing.

"It's yours," he said with a serious expression. I bowed and started walking away when a hand grabbed my shoulder. It was Katashi… I stared at him with an irritated look on my face.

"The thing is…well… wanna eat lunch together?" he said with his face turning bright red. I nodded and he led the way to the nearest eatery.

As we sat waiting for our food I realized this was the first time I have eaten with a boy. Also the first time I had eaten with anyone since this death game started. This guy was bold asking me to join his party, but asking me to eat with him was another thing.

"I shouldn't have come…I'm sorry," I said as I sat up. I bowed deeply and left. Why did I do that? I turned around and I noticed he was standing outside the restaurant watching me. I walked a little faster then suddenly someone grabbed me from behind.

"Hehe boss…we got a pretty one," one young man said. He was a teen with short blonde hair and a scar on his forehead. He was holding me from behind so I couldn't grab my sword. Before I could react the man holding me was thrown to the floor. The men watching me suddenly took their swords out. When I turned around I saw Katashi standing up panting. He had a serious expression and ran after the other men. He skillfully dodged all of their attacks and before they could react he had his sword point on the larger one's neck.

"Go!" he yelled looking towards the one escaping.

I ran after him at full speed. Before I knew it he was on the ground weeping with my sword point pressing against his chest. After a few minutes some men came to take them away.

"Heyyy!" I heard someone yell. When I turned around I saw Katashi running up to me. I had an expressionless face as I watched him.

"Why would he save me?"

"We're in a party now right? We need to look out for each other. With that all said and done… do you trust me now?" he finished giving me his hand. I grabbed his hand and nodded in reply. He suddenly had this crazy grin on his face.

"Great! Now let's finish our lunch," he said grabbing my hand dragging me to the eatery. I suddenly felt something; I had never felt before … I felt wanted.

Ch. 4 **A new beginning**

As we ate… me and Katashi remained silent.

"So… what was your life like before this…?" He asked quickly.

"Lonely…" I answered honestly while stuffing my mouth with toast.

"Oh, any family or friends?" he asked. I shook my head in response.

"My life was almost as hellish as this game," I said quietly. He suddenly looked down at his plate, playing with his food with his fork.

"You know, you're really quiet. I have an idea," he announced loudly. I just stared at him.

"Maybe all you need is a little fun." he said grinning at me.

"Fun?" I said dully. At the thought of it I became furious.

"No," I said harshly.

"Why not? I was just like you right after the announcement. I knew I had to escape no matter what. Well, beat the game that is. I worked my hardest every day non-stop just like you. Then one day a group of people approached me offering me to join their party. I accepted after multiple attempts on their side… I became very close with everyone but especially one girl named Sachi. I left the party for a little bit to focus on training again, but when I came back I was told they all died. There was one boy with her before she died and he lived. Now all I can think is why he didn't save her. Those people taught me how to enjoy my life. Even if it's in a video game controlled by some psycho,"

He finished with a dead serious look. I stared in disbelief for at least a few minutes.

"Fun, what did you have in mind."I asked rolling my eyes. He grinned at me and looked into my eyes.

"You're a really bad liar. There is no way you are that low of a lvl." He said still watching me.

"Same to you," I said firmly with a straight face.

"Let's be honest from now on ok?" he asked still glaring at me.

"Lvl…53," I answered.

"86," he said still staring. No way…this guy was that high. I quickly said,

"That's Impossible."

"No, I just worked even harder after Sachi died. I know now though, that everyone…even me needs a break," I just stared in disbelief.

"Don't believe me? Here look for yourself," he said. I looked at his bar and in disbelief showed his lvl. I continued to stare. I must've looked stupid staring like that, but how could I not.

He looked at me with those sharp green eyes and I realized that he looked worried.

"Let's go…" I said holding out my hand to him. As he grabbed it the world around me went white and all I could see was Katashi. A glitch in the game maybe? A few seconds later I snapped back into reality and realized I had been daydreaming. I cursed at myself under my breathe.

"Before we have any fun there is something you need to see," he said leading me out of the eatery. After thirty minutes of traveling I noticed the sun was setting behind the small hill we were climbing. As I reached the top, I saw something that took my breath away. It was a beautiful valley with a river and a thick forest. I looked for many minutes and took it all in. It smelled of honey and… meat cooking? My place is down there I just need to pick up a few things. On our way down the hill I noticed a small cabin in the front were fences lining the entire property along with wild dogs he must have tamed to protect the place from intruders. The dogs usually take away half of the attacker's health and run back to the house to defend it while one runs to their master. Ingenious. As I neared the cabin I noticed there were multiple men outside the cabin waiting for him. They all looked very happy about something then I realized something and hit my head with my hand.

"Everyone this is Saya and she has been chosen as second in command of the guild. Everyone's attention was suddenly brought on me.

No one there looked happy.

"We'll see about that. I challenge you to a duel," one man said as he drew his sword. This man was in his mid 30s he had a buzcut hair style and a scruffy beard. Without saying a word I didn't hesitate on accepting the invite. Katashi watched us carefully and soon every man that was waiting was watching us. We got into position and as soon as it began the stranger ran straight at me. As he attempted to hit me in the side with his sword I grabbed my sword and reflected it. As I reflected his attack I remembered how I was smaller and wouldn't be able to hold him for long so right after I reflected his attack I jumped over him using his weight to my advantage. He got up confused and looked for me like a lost child. He finally turned around and saw me and charged once more. I used the same tactic over and over again until he was on the verge of collapsing. This wasn't lowering his health though and I needed to do something no one here would expect so I didn't have to fight another man who thought he could beat me. At this point he could barely walk with sweat streaming down his face. I knew what I had to do almost immediately. He approached me slowly and I did the same. We both charged at each other and our swords clashed so many times I lost count. After a few minutes I decided to finish it and did something I had learned from my dad's old fighting books. I ran behind him and grabbed his arm twisting it backwards and as I did this forced him on his knees making him yell loudly. I pointed the front of my sword to his neck and I swear I saw him word the words 'do it'.

"No…"I answered into his ear as I let him go. I stood there as everyone watched with wide eyes. Yet again, I was an outsider. Even in a world where I could start anew the demon inside me was freed. I walked away panting with sweat coming down my face; knowing that everyone there including Katashi was staring at me.

Ch.5 **Freedom Chasers**

As I walked away knowing that word of me would spread, someone suddenly grabbed my hand. I froze and turned around. Katashi stared at me with a dead serious look. I realized everyone else was looking at me. Everyone else suddenly nodded at the same time and got on their knees. The man I had fought was even on his knees.

"Join us, the Freedom Chasers," he said this as if it was the most important matter in the world. As I looked at everything going on around me I became dizzy and everything around me became dark. In my last moments I mumbled,

"Impossible." As I said this I remembered the last time this happened was the night of the attack. Right before I discovered the woman this had happened to me hours before.

When I woke up I found a wet rag on my head and was in a bed with blankets covering my body. As I noticed this I realized I was surrounded by at least 20 teenage boys. I sat up immediately and began thrashing in the bed as a bad memory suddenly went through my mind more vivid than ever. I felt like I could taste his blood in my mouth as my sword cut into his chest. As I snapped back into reality I realized someone was holding me tightly. Katashi was holding me with his hand on my head and with me in his lap on the bed. I realized my sword was in my hand. I let go of it immediately. He gently let me go and I realized I had been crying.

"Ho-how long?" I asked avoiding his eyes.

"Seven Minutes," he replied seriously. "You thrashed around a little. It was a memory from your past, wasn't it?" he asked with concern. I got out of bed almost too quickly and walked out the door wiping any lingering tears from my face. I was so embarrassed…I promised myself that I would never show weakness on this game. But here I was crying and right after I had proven myself a strong player. Someone suddenly grabbed me from behind. As I was pulled back from behind I recognized a familiar face.

"Hotaka?"I said thinking I was imagining this.

Someone was hugging me from behind and I recognized this handsome and gentle face… it was Hotaka.

"I'm so sorry Saya. If I never left the game by your doorstep, you wouldn't be here now. Before I could react someone pulled us apart and stood in front of me and looked back at me protectively. Katashi suddenly said.

"Hotaka, I didn't invite you to my-"

"I am aware of that, but I had to see her. Just once," he interrupted. I stared in disbelief at what was happening around me. Katashi still held his ground.

"She is going to become second in command and I as first in command will NOT allow you to hang out around her," Katashi said looking a little agitated. Hotaka just smiled…but it was a fake smile. This wasn't the Hotaka I knew, he was different somehow. I never agreed to this any of this. Second in command for what? It suddenly made sense, he has a guild and all those men were willing to fight me for second in command but…why me? I was just his tool to escaping this place.

"Good bye Katashi," I said as I walked by and passed Hotaka and had him follow after me. Of course he did all the talking like always, but the questions he asked were strange to me and he looked different… I mean not his looks but he styled his hair differently and the way he smiled was unfamiliar to me. He had a sly look to him and it seemed as if he was hiding something.

"So Saya… how do you know that clown…" he asked in a more serious tone.

"He…we umn had lunch together and he wanted to show me his cabin, but I guess it was something else. May I ask how you found me?"

I asked interested. He put his hands behind his head and continued walking in a carefree way and said,

"I thought you would ask me that. Well I had heard of an overpowered female player and wanted to check it out and there you were sprawled on a bed in, Katashi's arms." He said Katashi like it was a bad taste in his mouth.

"How do you know him, he knew your first name," I asked.

"We go way back to the beginning of the game. When it started I immediately went looking for you, but after a few days of searching and asking around I gave up. I thought you either never plugged it in or died early in. I created a guild in your remembrance… it is actually quite popular now haha," he said as he patted my head like when we were in school.

"What's the name?" I asked

"Swift Arrow," he answered quickly. That was the meaning of my name. some people in Japan named their children that hoping they would grow up to be strong warriors. After hearing that i thought I saw a bit of kindness in his words. "I haven't seen you smile once so far Saya." he said smirking strangely.

"Any way I am going to take you to my guild and have you become a guild member. well that is if you want?" he asked innocently. I didn't answer and decided to continue towards our destination. As we walked to his guild I thought about Katashi and how he had kept me safe and how he protected me from Hotaka. But Hotaka was a good guy and there was no reason to think he was dangerous, then why would Katashi lash out like that? I went over this in my mind until I noticed a large black building with the name Swift Arrow written in red paint over a sign making it look a little like blood.

As I walked in there were shady figures everywhere. Most had orange icons over their heads, which meant they had stolen at one point, but I had never seen so many at one time. Hotaka's smirk had left his face and was now dead serious.

"I need you to change into something before introducing you to the guild," as he said this he handed me a white dress and didn't leave until it was on. It even made my hair flow nicer and added a little flower to top it off. As I did this I became more and more uneasy about the situation. Why did I even equip this? "Listen Hotaka… I am happy you are safe but urnm… I think I am going to go home now, it's getting late and well-" Before I could finish, Hotaka began to laugh.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"I finally have you in a situation where you are completely helpless and you think I will let you leave just like that? You still don't get it do you. This is the end of the line for you and I will finally be able to-" He was cut off by loud screams coming from the main hall.

"Secure the doors!"He yelled as he got off of me and grabbed me from behind pointing his sword at my neck. Before and his men could answer him the doors flew open. There stood Katashi and 100 other men armed and ready to fight.

Ch.6** A new life**

As soon as Katashi saw me his face immediately turned away. My relief was gone along with any hope of actually getting out of here alive.

"Stop! I'll kill her!" Hotaka said holding me tighter around the waist. At this action I became light headed and dizzy. Before I could react Katashi was right in front of us and walked slowly up to us.

"Leave her out of this Hotaka," Katashi ordered. Hotaka started laughing hysterically after hearing that and spit on him. "I'm sorry I have to do this. But I will never let you harm her again…whether it is here or in the real world. Die," Katashi said as he swiftly stuck his sword in his side. When he let go of me Katashi caught me and carried me out of the battlefield. I just stared at him with a stupid oblivious look on my face.

"Wh-why?" I asked as a single tear rolled down my cheek.

"That man was pure evil and deserved to die," he said without hesitation. As he said this I saw Hotaka turn into a thousand pieces.

"No… why did you come for me…" I asked once again.

"Because without you our guild would be short by one member," as he said that I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes I was back in my small motel room with a bowl of soup and fresh bread by my bed on a little tray and a note leaning on the bowl.

_**Saya, I dropped you off at your house so you can rest up. I'm sorry for everything you had to go through, but you have a strong spirit and I know you will be an excellent addition to the team.-Katashi**_

I read the note out loud as I munched on the bread grateful for ever meeting this guy. I knew for sure now though…that no matter what happens I have to remain distant from him and any other player or it will be even harder when someone I care about dies. But as I thought about that I knew it was too late… he was my friend now and I would keep him alive. The next morning I woke up to see a pair of familiar faces staring at me. It was Katashi and what looked like his entire guild. They all stood around my bed and as I looked out the window I realized there was another large crowd outside trying to peak through the window and open door.

"What?" I mumbled quietly. When I looked back at Katashi he looked frail and tired.

"Word of Hotaka's death and the war between our guilds got out fast. I actually just returned from the battle. After returning you, I returned to fight." Battle? That means because of me people died… NO, Hotaka was a bad guy and so was the guild it was because they were a threat not because I needed help. I shook the thought out of my head.

"Practically everyone knows what he tried to do to you. He and his guild were very well known around here and everyone wants to see the girl he went after. I guess every girl was after him, no matter his past or personality," he said like he had a bad taste in his mouth. I stared at him in disbelief but I was appearing weak in his eyes and everyone else's. My image, everything I had been working for was destroyed. I jumped out of bed and equipped my armor so quickly Katashi jumped back in surprise.

"I don't want your help and I don't need it. I also don't want to be any part of your guild I said squeezing past multiple people. As I rushed out of the house before I could react I was bombarded by people by the dozen all asking me questions. I ignored them and continued to walk away. A fresh start. I decided to exclude myself from ever having a permanent home. I was completely prepared to leave and never look back. There were thousands of people here and he would never find or see me again.

I searched the city asking around for the best blacksmith so I could craft a new sword for my journey. I decided to live in The Town of Beginnings. I needed to get my priorities straight on what I was going to do next. I wasn't going to buy a house there, but I would stay in the area. After I get some cash I planned on beating the newer levels with a large group of high lvl players. I was lvl. 53 and still considered a low lvl player by the top players. Every day the same idea goes through my head that I will never escape this world, but at the same time a jolt of hope flies through me. That man… the second we met he made trouble for me and at the same time introduced me to an entirely new world. I finally found a good blacksmith. There was a girl inside polishing a well made sword. She had pink short hair with freckles on each cheek. For some reason she looked distressed but I didn't ask.

"I need the best sword you have," I ordered.

"Sorry but some wacko came in and broke it hun. I can give you this though," as she said this she handed me a steel two edged sword. I dropped it immediately as everything went black and I fell to the floor. My mind raced back to the past as that woman handed me the sword I would use to destroy everything I ever knew or held dear. I woke up in a small shack in bed with the same girl staring down at me.

"Whaa…" I murmured rubbing my eyes.

"Do you do that a lot?" she asked honestly.

"It's sort of a habit," I answered.

"I'm Elizabeth," the girl said holding out her hand.

"Don't leave me hanging like this," she said with a sour look on her face. I took her hand and she helped me out of bed into a chair. She sat down in front of me with an eager look on her face.

"So, I was wondering… Well… I took a peak at your lvl. And was wondering if you could help me get some material for a specific sword I have been wanting to make forever. But I am staying if you don't mind. Also, in return if you help me I will give you the sword in return. I looked at the sword now laying on the table. The resemblance was terrifying. After a few minutes of silence I agreed. Ok! So the material I need is a certain ore. Mining it will be a cinch, but getting there not so much. Kakua mountain is at least a week long journey and that's to just reach the mountain. The ore is at the top of the mountain in a cave guarded by a boss. No one had been able to get it and come back successful let alone alive. She hit me with all of this information at once like she knew I would never back down. I nodded after she finished.

"See you in a month!" she yelled back. All this for a sword I don't even want I said looking down at the low quality sword she gave me. It would get the job done just not quickly. Kakua mountain was more than a week away so I would have to hurry. Maybe I could fly there… but on what?... I continued to walk until I hit the edge of the city and all I could see was wilderness. There was a 10 mile long forest in front of me and all I could do was stare. As I approached someone grabbed me from behind before I could enter the forest.

"Bad idea," a familiar voice said from behind me. Katashi.

I didn't answer him; I didn't even turn around to look at him. As I walked I could hear someone's footsteps following. After 30 minutes of walking, I heard a strange screeching sound. From the corner of my eye I saw a tree shake. Katashi said nothing but I heard a yelp. I swiftly turned around and saw that it wasn't Katashi. It was a man maybe 17 or 18. Something was choking it. But there was nothing there. All I saw was this man holding his neck as he fell to the ground. I thought back to how many people had lost their lives already. 2,000 innocent people… dead. Before I could think I ran to him and slashed his back not knowing if there was a creature or not. I was right and a giant beetle screeched and hopped off. This monster was larger than my house and was sucking this guy's life out. When I saw his health bar he only had an inch left. I threw a healing potion at him as I ran towards the bug with my sword drawn. "Ahhhh!" I screamed as I slashed it over and over again. But it didn't do anything. I had a crazy idea but failure wasn't an option. I grabbed its head and did a flip onto its back and latched on a rope I had in my inventory. I acted fast and stuck it into its mouth with its teeth gnashing insanely trying to cut the rope. Without a warning it scurried toward the stranger as his health was regenerating.

"Don't hurt it!" I yelled out to him. He nodded and threw a strange potion at it. The beetle suddenly slowed down until it was in a deep sleep. I hopped off and stared at the guy who had just saved my life. He hugged me a little too tightly squishing me as I tried to wriggle out.

"I knew you made it… I just knew it!" the man said still holding my arms.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked completely oblivious. "

I didn't want it to be like this but… I'm your brother," he said suddenly dead serious. I stared at him and realized he was a spitting image of dad. No way…

"That's impossible," I said slowly backing away.

"No, it's true. Mom gave birth to me a few years before you. She told me she didn't want a son…so she gave me away. I had ran away and lived on the streets, but always watched you. I watched mom and dad die just like you. I became a swordsman and joined a group so I could learn to protect you. Not knowing I would end up hurting you, I am so sorry," he said looking down at me. I didn't understand how did he hurt me?...

"The night your adopted parents died… I was there as well except I was there under order not be seen." he finished. My eyes widened in fear. I backed away slowly as everything processed. I am a smart girl he doesn't have to explain more. I worked the rest out myself. I unsheathed my sword and pointed it at him.

He looked down at his feet and rubbed his head. After I found out you had done it… i was very surprised and feared for your future, so I continued to watch you from afar. Once I realized you were trapped here I decided to rescue you, even though I knew I might die, you might already be dead, and I would be trapped. My skill in the real world does make this a little easier though," he finished. This all hit me like a speeding bullet. I stopped and stared at him with a cold expression. I got onto the beetle and harnessed as he watched me carefully. I could kill him in a second so I didn't have to worry but all of this was too much. I got on the beetle once it woke up and after a lot of struggling I was able to get it under my control. I gave my hand to this man who said he was my brother. His eyes lit up and took it as he got onto the back. Whenever I turned around he was smiling like a child. He had short brown hair with kind yet sad brown eyes like mom. He wore simple metal armor and had scars all over his face. I will admit he was handsome though.

Ch. 7 **Arigatou,** **Ome-sama**

After hours of riding we reached the end of the forest and I could see a beautiful valley. I had never said another word to him until the sun began to set. "I will camp here. You will take the beetle back. I'm alive and will beat this game, but I will not protect you and have you slow me down. He nodded and got on the beetle like he understood.

"Stay alive or I won't have a reason to live…Saya," as he said this he rode back into the forest. I didn't get his name… I watched him go and realized I had just said goodbye to the man that has been watching over me my entire life. At the thought a single tear escaped my eye. I sat down and realized this entire time I had been acting so tough. I was at my breaking point. I grabbed some bread out of my inventory and ate it slowly. As I munched on it thinking about the last couple weeks all at once everything escaped me. I began to sob loudly. My eyes flooded with tears and all the grief slowly but surely left my body all at once. Shredding those tears helped me to understand being so tough wasn't always a good thing. Also, I realized everything Katashi told me was the truth. I had left him when he had done absolutely nothing to me. I decided to walk a few more miles and make camp. I knew though I wouldn't sleep, anyone or anything could kill me while I slept. I found a small underground cave and rested there. I made a fire and thought about my day and how realizing all of those things may have changed me forever. In a good way.

I woke up the next morning realizing I must've fallen asleep. Thankfully no one had discovered me I awoke and prepared for the long journey ahead. As I exited the cave I saw someone sleeping outside. It was Katashi and before I knew it I was hugging the life out of his now awake body.

"Sorry," I whispered into his ear. He smiled at me and shook his head.

"Elizabeth's quest was my next goal, but you ended up going and she cheated you out of 60,000,000 coins. That's what that ore is worth. If I help I come along and help you we can split the money and I will use my fraction of the money to get you a new sword," he said handing me a different sword that looked identical to Liz's. I nodded and we continued to the mountain. Every day had been countless walking and fighting. I had no idea there were so many players out here. Most of them were bandits, players looking for easy coin from low and high lvl players. Without Katashi I might had died the first week. Even though we only spoke a few words to each other a day we understood each other perfectly.

Four days had passed like this, utter silence. Although it felt like we had been talking the entire trip. No, like i had known him my whole life. As we walked through a slim mountain pass he began to walk slower and slower.

"We should rest here," I said putting down my things.

**This is how my story begins. How it ends is up to you to keep reading what I have to endure, in the things to come. 3**

**PART 2**

Ch.8 **I love you**

He looked suspicious somehow and showed me multiple herbs.

"What is this?" I asked.

"A cure. It took me a while but I think it will work," he said seriously. I gave him my arm and he rubbed the ingredients where my hand was and my hand re-materialized before my eyes. I held my hands up to my heart and smiled. He looked at me and turned away with a strange expression. I immediately tackled him with a hug. We were both thrown to the soft, plush grass and he was on top of me. I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side putting me on top.

"I win," I said victorious

. "Thank you," I said. His expression was still serious and he suddenly grabbed my waist and pulled me in for a hug.

"Last night I was the most scared I had ever been.

When we were running… I could only think about getting you to safety. I don't know how this and how last night felt…but I have realized… I need you," he let out.

"Me?…why me? I mean I'm nothing. You could easily go on your own without me and it wouldn't change anything," I said truthfully.

"No! The thing is, I could never do that. When I entered this place I had nothing to fight for. My life in the real world meant nothing to me and never will. I have thirteen siblings. I was the only one who bought this game and the only one trapped inside of it. My parents never spoke to me or even cared to greet me. I confined myself to my small little room with my magazines, posters, games, and TV. The only thing I did besides that was school. I received top grades, but they still never noticed me. That life means nothing, but this life does. You do, Saya. I will help you survive and in the end we will meet in real life." as he said this I realized he was serious.

"We will. I promise and I haven't broken a promise…yet," I said this holding his hand in mine. After a few minutes in silence he took my hand and together we continued to our destination. As we walked I realized that my life here was just getting started and that I had so much to learn. I had experienced so many new things since meeting Katashi and felt so many things I had never felt before. This feeling… I felt all warm inside and most of all I think I… haha I am not sure how I feel about him yet. But I know that he is my friend, who was like family.

Today was so carefree, Kaatshi and I sat by the lake. I tried to open my menu but it wouldn't come up. Katashi noticed this and before I could react Katashi was pulling me into the water.

"Bandits… if they see you. Hide in the water. You can do this," he said before sprinting towards the sound. When I was younger, before the accident. I was at the beach and there was just me and few other teenagers. Night had fallen quickly and I had decided to go home. Before I left I heard a scream coming from the water. I ran to the edge as quickly as possible and realized a little girl had been swallowed by a strong wave. I jumped in not thinking. I did my best to locate her, but there was no luck. I dove beneath the waves throwing my arms around hoping to find her. After a minute of this I attempted to catch my breath. I did this again and again until my lungs burned from the salt water. I was completely exhausted and in shock at what had just happened. After a few seconds just like the little girl I was swallowed by the largest wave I had ever seen. I had been dragged under the water and a hand suddenly grabbed my shirt. When I woke up there was a man looking down at me. Something suddenly triggered in my brain. It was my brother…he had saved me. He saved my life. As the yelling became louder I snapped back to reality and sunk under the water. I made it so my toes could touch the ground and made my way behind the waterfall. I carefully listened in the silence. My heart was beating a 100 times per minute which made it difficult to stay calm.

After five minutes of silence I heard someone yell out. Then there were many shouts and yells coming from within the trees. After 8 minutes it became silent again.

"Saya!" I heard Katashi yell. "Come here! I need your help!" Doing as he asked I walked into the forest wet and ashamed I couldn't have helped earlier. After a few minutes of following his voice he was sitting on a rock staring at eight men tied up and looking terrified. Katashi didn't greet me or smile. He looked at me then at the men and I realized what he wanted me to do. I grabbed the rope and together we pulled the men deep into the forest. The men continuously stared at me up and down. Whenever one of them did this Katashi would stare at them and almost immediately they shut up and looked nervous. Let's stop here and let them go. I already took their weapons. As they began to scatter Katashi grabbed the youngest by the collar. The rest of them stopped to watch. "If you ever… hurt or kill again… I will kill you. He suddenly took the young boy and slammed him into the ground. They were out of sight in less than a minute. For a second I.. I thought he was going to kill the boy. "I'm sorry. I had to stop them. It ruined our day. "The day isn't over is it?" I said looking down shuffling my feet.

"Saya, your beautiful," as he said this he took my hand and together we walked back to the lake. For hours and hours he worked on teaching me how to swim. Finally, just as the sun went down I could do it and had the courage to let go of Katashi's grasp.

We laid down on the soft grass and looked up at the sky. As I listened to the fire crackle and the crickets chirp… I realized just how heavenly this place was.

"Thank you for today," I said half awake.

"Let's just call this me making up for the trick I played on you," he said now on his side looking at me.

"This may sound really stupid and you may even leave me after I say it but I Lo-," before I could finish my sentence his lips met mine. They were warm and dry. After a few minutes he released me and stared at my red face. I didn't know what to say or do. I was so confused about so many things.

"I think my menu bar works now…I can change into my arm-,"as I said this I was interrupted by a soft snore coming from Katashi.

"I love you," I whispered softly. Even though I had never experienced love I knew that this was what caused what others called butterflies. At school people would say they loved each other, but leave or cheat on them the next day. I thought love was stupid and horrible. Now I know what love really is and if he doesn't love me back… I will always love him.

Ch.9 **On my own**

"Good morning," We soon packed up and were walking towards, the now very close mountain. As we walked he seemed different somehow. Katashi was a tall, handsome dark figure. He was usually very serious, but at times; could become carefree. He was so hard to understand, yet it didn't bother me. He stopped in his tracks after walking for a few minutes and waited for me to catch up. I was way behind, I was weak from yesterday. It was just that… just thinking about Katashi and how he felt toward me… it took its toll on me. He looked back at me and noticed me staring at my feet. I meant what I said about us escaping this world.

"Saya. Also, everything after that. I know this is just virtual…but my feelings are real," as he said this he took my hand in his and held it up to his cheek.

We stood there for a long time and I knew he would risk himself for me. In horror I fell back.

"No, they…they aren't," I said shaking a little. The last time someone had told me that, they hurt me mentally and physically. He is dead now and… if anyone dies..that I care about. I let the thought linger. I have to distance myself. If I don't. he might die. NO… I won't let that happen! I realized I had said this all out loud and tears were falling from my eyes. In embarrassment I backed away from Katashi as he tried to help.

"NO, You are welcome to come with me and finish the quest then… we will go our separate ways." Katashi said nothing, only nodded. He looked weak somehow and followed beside me. He looked at me for a few seconds as if formulating a plan and looked away once our eyes met.

"What did I do wrong? I know you fear the worse and those dreams you had continuously. I know your past haunts you, but ever since you have been with me those dreams and memories have been slowly fading away. So why… leave me?" he finished starting to walk ahead. I stared in awe. He was right I hadn't had one nightmare since that day… If he left I would be alone again, but if he died… would I have anything to fight for?... After an hour of walking in silence we finally approached the bottom of Kakua Mountain.

The long tread up the mountain had begun and all I could think about was leaving Katashi. I had tried this before but it didn't end well. We made our way up the mountain and the side of the mountain was beautiful. It shimmered in the sun and reminded me of diamonds. Katashi saw what I did and sprinted up the side of the mountain and collected the ore. I heard a loud fierce roar in the back ground. But that thing seemed busy. Katashi had the ore and was already half way down the mountain. I looked at him and back towards the sound of the roar. Without giving it a second thought, I sprinted towards the sound. Once I reached the top of the hill I had just enough time to see two people flung into a obis. I was too late… They have to be dead. I ignored the hole and ran towards the mountain. Before I could reach the dragon-like creature, he had already flown away. I stood panting as I stared at the sky.

"That girl…," I recognized her. Her short pink hair… As I thought about the poor thing someone grabbed my shoulder. Katashi turned me towards him. He stared at me for a few minutes before I turned away and headed down the mountain. The following weeks had been horrible. Every time Katashi attempted to speak to me I went ahead and ignored every word he said. If only he knew how hard it was for me. Just like him, when Sachi died he nearly broke down. If he died because of me it would be the end.

When I wasn't thinking about Katashi I was thinking about my brother. He was and maybe still is an assassin. After a few days of silence Katashi finally gave up trying to speak to me. The only problem was that… every day I fell more in love with him. Love was a stranger to me yet I felt like I have known it my entire life. Once we reached Lisabeth's shop I noticed her speaking to a boy Katashi's age outside in the back. She looked on the verge of tears…she looked in love. I turned away and accidentally faced Katashi with watery eyes.

"I know you want to leave me behind so you won't have to worry about me dying. I tried right when I met you, but when I held you in my arms as you cried." as he said this I swore I saw a very small tear escape his stunning green eyes. I pulled his long bangs so I could clearly see his face. I shook my head slowly forcing a smile and walked towards lisbeth. I handed her the ore and saw her face suddenly light up.

"Woah, you actually did it." as she said this Katashi walked up and Lisbeth stiffened up.

"I would like it if you kept your bargain, plus the gold. I could easily get 2x as much and multiple swords much better made than that one," he said blankly, pointing easily towards the sword lying on the counter. She looked mad, confused, and then sad.

"Oh… o-of course," as she said this she took the ore, transferred the gold and handed me the sword. She bowed and walked away. Katashi exited the store without saying a word and I was debating on whether I should do something really stupid. I walked past the counter and followed Lisbeth. I knocked softly on the door and walked into the familiar living room.

"Oh Lisbeth…" I said this as I saw her sprawled on the bed crying. She sat up immediately and wiped away the tears quickly. "It's ok… please you can cry…I won't tell anyone. It was that boy wasn't it…," after I said this she nodded slowly. After a few minutes she explained her adventure with the ever so talented Kirito-kun. As I listened I was sure to hold onto every word. She loved him. After she finished I realized she was the young girl I saw. I decided not to say anything…that experience was special to her… it was hers.

"I need work…well not really just something to pass the time for a few weeks… Mind if I help watch the store?" I asked nervously. Her eyes suddenly lit up and the old Lisbeth was recognized.

"That would be wonderful… thank you," she said sweetly getting up patting her apron. You can work the counter for me and… and I can-" she stopped in midsentence. I turned around and I saw a familiar face.

"Brother…" I said this out loud on accident and covered my mouth with my hands. He looked at me kindly. Before I could react I was in his arms.

"I thought you were, I need to tell you something," he said grabbing my hand. By the time we reached the door I swear I saw Lisbeth laughing into a pillow. Yup…she is back.

**Ch.10 World of Lies**

He led me into a small inn and into a room. "I'm not your brother, but everything else was true. Your father hired me to watch you…he even taught me to fight. He found me on the streets and knew I could take care of myself. When you were six and I just turning nine he found me and asked me to do the impossible. Watch over you so he wouldn't need to worry. He knew he was going to die and he had always known your mother would as well. He said he could sense it. When you turned thirteen I began to see you as a real woman and led you towards the richest family for hundreds of miles. I wish I would've done my home work. They were torturing innocent people. Ever wondered what was in that giant barn?... Corpses, everywhere.

They adopted and found young children or poor country folks on the streets. Then found anything they could use against them and tortured them to death… They had special plans for you though. When I found out, guilt ate at me and I let the guild know immediately and sent our best. Only problem… I forgot to tell her not to kill you. I was about to stop her from striking and suddenly saw her look at me through the window. She was never going to kill you..but she tested you. You lived and what she made you do was something I could never think of. She told me you were very brave for a ten year old. After that I watched you from afar. I found out your body was moved to a hospital and you were still alive. I did my research and entered the game immediately. I asked around for a few months until I found you in the forest alone," he said taking a break to breathe. I stared to shocked to speak. After a few minutes I recovered. This man has looked over me my entire life and could never say a word to me. He walked up to me suddenly and took me in his arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered. It wasn't fair… all of this. It didn't matter though. For the first time I realized something…this was game and I could actually win it.

The next morning I was up at the crack of dawn.

**_AN: Since this chapter it has been updated into a new format with chapters that are one per update and are about 1000- 2000 words long, not 11,000 :) _**

**_Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!_**

**_\- Hiroko/The Editor_**


	2. Chapter 11

**I hope you found my previous chapters enjoyable. I would like to apologize in advance for any mistakes I may have made. I will have a close friend and amazing writer critiquing it. Her name is Astrid Also known as the Queen of Logical Nonsense. If you have any points or tips I recommend you send it in a private message and I will always get back to you. Thank you and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Ch.11 Don't Forget**

The next morning I was up at the crack of dawn. I had woken up to the sound of loud cheers and screaming. I forced myself out of bed to see what the noise was. I heard a scream of pain and began running… then before I knew it I was sprinting. There was a fight. I pushed my way through the crowd so I could see the fight. I finally made it to the front and saw a young girl my age... maybe 15. She had dirty blonde hair in a braid down her back. She wore armor much like my own except it had two black lines going down her sides and was colored bright red. Her eyes were her strong suit though; she had ocean blue eyes that sparkled under the sun. She had a determined look on her face as she held a steel sword and a shield with the head of a lion on it. She was surrounded by multiple reds with swords in each hand. She held her ground and I realized there was a young girl behind her. I raced towards her to help… then suddenly a young man grabbed my shoulder pulling me back. It was my brother.

"But-…" Then I hit my forehead in frustration. I don't even know him name…

"Hayate, that's my name. You haven't asked," I stared at him for a few seconds, then drew my attention back to the girl. I realized Hayate was still holding my shoulder. "She will be fine," he said watching her.

The men opposing her kept throwing insults as they spat on her. She stood in front of the child.

"Pathetic," she mumbled under her breath. She charged the line of men and with a single slice took out all of them at once. Their HP level decreased rapidly almost reaching zero. A few ran for it before anyone could get a hold of them, but a few stayed to continue the fight. "Each of you are very close to death, so close to destroying any chances of seeing the sun again or feeling it against your skin… the air…" she finished still staring at the men.

"That girl, she belongs to me!"one man spat. She didn't even acknowledge the man.

"She is now under my protection from disgusting reds like you. If you value your life, you will return to the slums from where you came," Immediately after, the girl took the child by the hand and led her towards the other part of town smiling sweetly and encouraging her. I guessed she was taking her to the orphanage for young children with missing family members or parents. The stunned crowd dispersed quickly; leaving just me and Hayate. After several minutes in silence I finally spoke up and said,

"Hayate, if everything you told me is true. What's the reason? Why did you obey my father and take care of me? You could've just left after he died." He looked at me with a puzzled expression, like this was an absurd question.

Before he could answer I remembered I had promised Lisbeth I would start work today.

"I have to go!" I said as I ran towards her shop.

"Wait!" I heard him yell back to me. I ignored him and continued on my way.

"Hey, I'm ready to start," I yelled as I entered the shop.

"Can you man the counter?" she answered. I nodded in reply and took a seat. After several hours of helping customers I saw a familiar face. The girl from before approached the counter and dropped a large sack of coin and pointed towards an expensive celestial bronze sword in a glass case on the other side of the store. I stared at her in disbelief, that she had obtained these many coins.

"You're that girl from before… you were in that fight," I stuttered without nodded in reply and started tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for her new sword.

"Oh I'm sorry," as I said this I walked quickly towards sword case and accidentally tripped over some baskets I left on the ground earlier. I hit the floor with a thump. Embarrassed I looked up at the girl who was now smiling. I smiled back while trying to get my foot out of a small basket. The girl got on her knees next to me and pulled on it. While she was trying to help Lisbeth walked into the room and ran to our aid. She got behind the girl and pulled hard. In a few seconds Lisbeth and the stranger pulled it off. All of us were laughing hysterically. I wiped a few tears away and Lisbeth gave each of us a hand and helped us up.

"Thanks," I told the girl. She nodded still smiling a little. "I'm Saya," I said giving her my hand.

"Amaya," she said as she shook my hand. I handed her the sword and she waved good bye to me and was on her way.

"You know… that is one of the strongest players in the area. I heard she has taken out hundreds, but never killed. No one every told me she was kind, I only knew she was serious and very strong. You just made a strong ally Saya," finally finished smirking at me. Lisbeth was weird that way. She was either laughing or cracking a random joke. She was strange like that.

I spent the next few following weeks with Lisbeth, working day and night. By the third week I realized I would have just enough coin to live comfortably for at least a year while on the run.

"Lisbeth it's time, I be moving on," I said while trying to conceal any sadness in my heart. Lisbeth had been God-sent. We took care of each other… she was like my sister. Lisbeth suddenly dropped the sword she had been working on for months and tackled me with a hug.

"Say hello to Katashi for me," she whispered. My eyes opened wide and I realized I hadn't seen or heard from him for almost a month. I had forgotten… Fear washed through me as I wondered if he was even still alive or not. I thought she was just messing with me, but her expression was serious.

"Don't let him slip through your fingers like Kirito-kun did with me. If this is your last life, make it the best you can. That dude cares about you… give him some slack will you?" as she said this she let go of me and went to the back and closed the door behind her. The next morning I packed and left the store before Lisbeth woke up. My destination... the 22nd floor.


	3. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! So in the show they never explained how they moved from floor to floor to floor etc. So I will just come up with my best guess for how the players move from floor to floor. I hope you all enjoy more action on the way!**

**Ch. 12 **

Every few days I managed to level up a few times and move onto the next floor. There is a transportation device in each main town on each individual floor. Thus, moving you up one more or down one floor. I was approached by multiple players to join guilds, but I never want to experience what I did with Katashi. Leaving him was hard enough, but now I am forced to wonder if he was still alive, or if he had died. I was now on floor 22 and was enjoying myself immensely, by taking advantage of their glorious lakes. I rented a fishing pole and changed into a gorgeous sleeveless dress with flowers decorating the bottom of the dress and I had my hair in a braid also decorated in flowers. I usually would never wear such a thing, but no one was here and it was my day to take a break and relax.

I hadn't reeled in a thing, but the feeling of the wind hitting my face and the sun's warmth on my shoulders was enough for me. Suddenly after waiting for a few hours, I got a small tug on my pole. "Argghh!" I mumbled trying with all my might to reel it in. "Hey hold onto that! I'm coming to help!" I heard someone yell from the distance. Before I knew it Amaya was behind me holding onto my waist trying to help me pull. After a few minutes we reeled it in and it turned out to be as big as my hand. "What a waist," I mumbled looking down at my broken pole. "Sorry about that… I guess I don't know my own strength," Amaya said innocently rubbing the back of her head.

We spent the rest of the day by the lake relaxing. Well at least I did. Amaya apparently came here a lot to swim. Back in the real world she was a competitive swimmer and was killer fast. "So, you're off to the 100th floor? That's a big goal," she panted while I helped her out of the water. There had to be more to this girl, she seemed too calm. It was like nothing bothered her at all. I envied her for that, but maybe she was sheltering a deep sadness inside her heart. That's what I have been doing since me and Katashi said goodbye. "So, what's your story?" she asked suddenly. The question hit me like speeding bullet. My mind immediately went back to Hotaka and bad memories flew through me. I dropped to the ground panting. My eyes widened in fear, this hadn't happened since… since he died. Katashi was there to protect me, but now I'm alone. Every now and then I would either collapse and memories would flow through me or I would have the worst nightmares.

I never remembered being so happy in my life when I was with Katashi, but now I am continuing to my goal, the 100th floor. "What's wrong?" Amaya asked concerned. "No-nothing… I'm alright," I answered as she helped me up. "Sometimes I just get flashbacks suddenly. Sorry to worry you. "I guess I should go first then," she said sitting down next to me. She looked at the sky dreamily with her big blue eyes. My dad died before I was born, and my mom when I turned seven. They tried to put me in an orphanage, but I always ran. No one would ever be able to replace my mother I use to think to myself. My only friend in the world was this boy. When one day I was resting in a small alley and a man appeared from nowhere. He approached me with hungry eyes. I knew I couldn't run forever… I was so tired. I didn't run, I waited for what was to come.

Then suddenly out of nowhere a boy jumped in front of me with what I swore was a sword. He told me to run and charged the advancing man. I ran as fast as I had ever ran in my life. I remember that experience like a dream," she said looking up at the sky. "After that, I stopped running. I realized it was time for me to move on and grow up. Two weeks after the incident I found a wonderful family. I had mother and a father again. They bought me Sword Art Online, like a welcome gift. They said it would be fantastic, and they were right," she said laying down on the plush grass.

I stared into her sad eyes. "I am sorry. You probably don't believe me… but I had to tell someone before I die," as she said this, a single tear fell from her right eye, but her face was emotionless. "I believe you," I said looking up at her. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Y-you do?" she asked quietly. "I may not be able to share my story, but I know yours is truth. Mine is just as impossible," before I could finish the sentence she tackled me with a hug. "Thank you," she said squeezing the life out of me. I knew from that point on, I had a friend for life.


	4. Chapter 13

**Ch.13 A Lonely Fear**

Amaya and I had agreed to travel together; we understood and trusted each other. That was more than enough for me to go off of. For some reason I didn't fear, the possibility of her being killed. The next day we left at noon to head towards the next floor. We had a long few months ahead of us… but we would figure it out, somehow. It had started to rain so Amaya and I discovered a small cave to make camp in. I took first watch while Amaya rested. I waited in the silence with the occasional drip drops of water inside the cave. My eyes grew heavy after only a few minutes. Then out of nowhere I heard a loud howl from outside the cave. Two red eyes began to glow right in front of me. It was the same monster from the mountains. Anger swelled inside of me. Without waking Amaya, I charged it head on.

I ran into the open field into the pouring rain and memorized my surroundings for any possible shields I could use against it. I had learned from the past that this monster's bite is worse than its bark. I took out my two-edged sword that I had coated with a special poison earlier and prepared to fight. I knew with Amaya I could take it out easily, but this was personal. I charged the beast with enormous power, running as fast as I could. It jumped towards me, gnashing its teeth vigorously at my face, as I held it back with the hilt of my sword. It jumped back and started circling me while growling at me with anger-filled eyes. I was ready to charge, and then found myself slipping into the past again. "No…not now," but it was too late, my eyelids began to close. I had just enough time to see the monster jump at me. I was back on that mountain, Katashi running with me in his arms. I was still oblivious of why he was running to begin with. I saw myself see the dogs and I closed my eyes as I heard myself scream.

When I woke up I noticed two figures looking down at me. We were in a large green field. I was resting on someone's lap…but who's? When I opened my eyes all I saw were splotches of color. "Saya…" I heard someone say in a relieved yet weak voice. Relief washed over me, I was safe… and I would never make the same mistake again. "Katashi, promise…me you will never slip through my fingers again," I managed weakly. "I promise," I heard him reply faintly. I swore I felt a drop of water hit my cheek.

After a few hours of sleep I was feeling much better. I was still in the same place as before except Amaya was sitting next to me. "How are you holding up?" she asked forcing a smile. "Good, where is-?" before I could finish Amaya rested me back down onto the plush grass. "Katashi, he is out hunting some wild pigs for breakfast. When she laid me down I grabbed her hand in mine. "Thank you," I told her. "Hey, Katashi is the one who saved the day... not me. Why didn't you wake me up anyways," she asked with a sour expression. "Oh…uh..."I couldn't give a reasonable answer. What I did was so stupid! "Maybe she just had to do it for herself and she would've if not for lack of sleep," as Katashi out of nowhere walked up behind me I felt gratitude. When is it my turn to save him? He put his hands on my shoulders and sat down behind me and pulled me towards his chest.

My face turned bright red and I attempted to sit up but he made it so I couldn't move. "Just a little longer," he said quietly. "I thought you were going to die," as he said this i turned around to face him. "I don't know what this world has in store for us, but if it be death. I will face it with you; I will fight until my last breath. Amaya… Katashi you two are my only friends in the world. I am not going to let go of you so easily," I said forcing a smile. Katashi stood up and looked down at me, the wind tugging at his hair. He offered me his hand and I took it. He did the same with Amaya. "Together," he said placing his hand flat in front of me. "Together," me and Amaya said in perfect unison, placing our hands on his.

It was decided that all three of us would work together to beat this game. We walked silently to the transportation checkpoint. We stood on the platform in a line all holding hands. "A new world," Amaya said glassy eyed. "A new boss," I said "To defeat," Katashi finished squeezing my hand tighter. I felt all warm inside and closed my eyes. When I opened them what I saw was a brand new floor and adventure ahead of us. The only problem… we were falling. "Ahhhh!" I screamed as I tried to find out where I could possibly land safely. Only problem… it was an ocean. At this rate… we will die from the impact. I looked at my friends afraid of the outcome and if they understood it as well they both looked at me with fearful faces. Well, at least Katashi did, but Amaya was perfectly calm. Before I could process she began to go into her menu and pulled out a giant sheet. No, this will never work. It was a crazy plan, but it might just work. She pointed to each end of the sheet. After minutes of hesitation we finally managed to grab one. After we were only 700ft away from the water we started to slow down. Until we were easily drifting down. We all began to excitedly yell, due to our victory. It was short lived though. I focused in on the water and saw that there was a shadow under the water… and it was moving fast. My friends were still unaware of the danger and I unsheathed my sword and let go of the side of the sheet and dived into the water. I finally saw it heading towards me head on. It was gigantic and before I knew it, it had its jaws open wide.

I was slow in the water, but I had been saving a special item for something like this. I quickly equipped a special suit that heightened your speed, swiftness, and defense. In other words it was more like flying than swimming. The creature wasn't expecting this and started to swim towards me even faster. This thing was the size of a tank and was as long as five school busses. I flew towards it at full speed right into its mouth, but I didn't slow down. I kept swimming as fast as I could, until I eventually cut open the end of its back. I turned around just in time to see it explode into nothingness. I had been holding my breath the entire time and I gasped for air when I hit the surface. I had just enough time to see Amaya helping me onto some flotation device. That fight had taken a lot out of me for some reason and I had just enough time to see Katashi smiling down at me before I blacked out. Every now and then I would get a sudden urge to fight…or was it an urge... to kill. As I slept I dreamt of that horrid night, then I dreamed about Hayate and the moment we met.

I woke up drenched in sweat and lying on a white sheet and I had dry clothes on. I was on a small wooden raft with Katashi, Amaya, and …oh no. I pretended I hadn't seen anything; I closed my eyes again and tried to tell myself this was just a dream. "Hey, I saw you Amaya… you need to eat something. I sat up groggily and ignored the person steering the raft with a wooden ore. "This is my friend Hayate," Amaya said looking down at me with a solemn expression. I looked at Hayate with a shocked expression. I worded "What are you…" he answered and worded the word "luck". I snorted out loud and everyone was looking at me with strange expressions. I looked towards the horizon and saw something I could barely believe. There was a large building emerging from the water. No not a building…a castle. I felt like an idiot because I was the only surprised one. "On this floor, the villages are underwater," Hayate said as he parked the raft on the stairs going up into the castle. Katashi helped me out and we all made our way through the castle.

It was decorated with blue lace lining the walls and it felt like I was underwater myself. After a few minutes waiting in the castle, it began to submerge. I held onto the wall as we fell hundreds of feet very quickly. When it finally stopped I ran out the castle as quickly as possible. It looked like normal villages except we were underwater. We were literally inside a large bubble. The bubble must keep air concealed inside… "Woah," Katashi said grabbing my hand in his. This shouldn't had surprised me but, it still felt strange him being so close to me. If he knew who I really was…a killer. He would leave me in an instant. I let go of his hand and continued ahead. I knew that he said he would never leave my side but the idea of him dying and the idea of never seeing him again terrified me.

"Listen. I know your scared of losing me, but don't be. Because even if I do die… at least I will have these memories. Please let them be good ones," I heard Katashi say slipping his hand back into mine. I blushed and continued to walk down the street with him silently. Maybe this was my last life… I could die tomorrow for all I know. Katashi was right. Let's make this the best life we can. Let's make this a good memory. I saw a restaurant and the smell pulled me towards it happily dragging Katashi with me. When I looked back at my friends, and all of their brilliant smiles… I knew I was no longer an outcast. I had a real family and that was … amazing.


	5. 14: Closer to you

**Ch.14 Closer to you**

* * *

It had been 4 months since this death game begun and so much has happened in that small amount of time. I was able to experience things I could never dream of and do things I never thought I would be able to do. This floor was different from any of the other floors I had been to. It was more like a fantasy than medieval. I was eating with my friends when suddenly a large group started to gather outside, which was the center of town.

"Boss of floor conquered by unknown player!" someone shouted who was standing on some large boxes. I heard men begin to shout and yell…I was interested. Without thinking I ran outside and forced myself to the front.

"Excuse me? But what was the boss?" I asked the man standing on the box.

"Oh, hello. Oh it's a monstrous beast that swims around the castle," he explained it in detail and I realized something. Crap... it must've dropped an item and I didn't notice.

"How could the person who defeated the boss get their hands back on their item?" I asked frustrated. He looked at me with a weird expression. Then before I knew it began to laugh hysterically.

"Everyone! This dame thinks that she conquered the floors boss!" he yelled loud enough for everyone to hear. Before I knew it every person in the square was pointing and laughing. I grabbed the man's shirt and brought his face down to mine.

"You don't want to go there shorty," I said threateningly. He suddenly didn't look so confident. "I have the item… if you can beat me in a duel you can have it," he said with a cheeky smile.

"Saya…I want to," I heard a familiar voice say from behind me. Amaya walked over, now by my side. Her blue eyes looked as if they were sparkling at the thought of a challenge. She equipped her sword and armor and looked a bit scary. The challenger had red long hair and a small scruffy beard. He was diffidently not a shorty. He was at least 6ft and had a confident smile.

"It doesn't matter which dame challenges me…she will lose anyways," as he said this Amaya looked fired up.

Everyone formed a large circle around Amaya and Shorty (just a nickname sheesh). She accepted the invite for a duel and it began. They walked in a circle never taking their eyes off each other.

"Am I really that handsome?" he shouted loudly. He was trying to bate her, but she knew better. He continuously threw insults at her, but it wasn't working. Before he could react Amaya began to sprint towards him, sword in arm. He stood his ground and prepared for impact, holding his sword in front of his face. Amaya suddenly slid onto the ground at an incredibly fast speed right under him. While he was confused she continuously slashed at his back until his health bar was red. After, she jumped back and stood panting. Shorty looked at his bar in chock. Amaya slowly walked up to him and pointed her sword at his heart.

"Now, for the item…" she said while a grin was forming on her face.

"It's a cruddy item anyway..." he said handing it to her. Everyone around her cheered and she walked back to me smiling.

"It's an enchanted sword," she said handing it to me.

"I can't accept this…you fought for it and won. Besides I already have a sword," I said handing it back. She tackled me with a hug, and then ran back to the boys. Who were now staring in aw, completely oblivious of what had happened.

"We couldn't get past the crowd. Something about an insane fight. Did you guys see anything?" Hayate asked looking at Amaya, who was still panting from the battle.

"Nah," she answered. After she began pulling me back to the eatery. We both began to laugh loudly, leaving Hayate and Katashi confused.

"So Amaya…I heard you rank one of the strongest female players," Hayate said awkwardly, while poking at his food with a fork. She nodded without any facial recognition. Her hand was resting on the table and she began to doze off. I knew she was tired but really… Hayate took his fork and brought it closer and closer to her hand. When he was at least an inch away, her eyes opened wide and grabbed his wrist and twisted it harshly. "Oowwow!" he yelled while caressing his wrist with his other hand.

"What was that for!" he yelled at her, while she began to eat again as if she never grabbed him.

"Take that as a warning," she said getting out of her seat. "I am going to go for a walk," she said leaving coin on the table.

"I'll join you," Hayate said standing up as well. "Saya, can I talk to you before I leave?" he asked glaring at me. This was the first time he had talked to me since we were recently reunited.

**(Ok I'm going to start writing paragraphs in the different character's views besides Saya for now on. I hope you enjoy!)**

**(Saya)**

He led me outside of the eatery and took my hand. He looked at me with those big sad eyes.

"Saya, where did you meet Amaya?" he asked with a serious expression.

"Oh…she came into a store I was working at and we became friends," I answered.

"I know her… I mean I saved her. I don't know," he said like he was at war with himself.

"Slow down," I said letting go of his hand. He explained about how he had found her in an alley and fended her off from a man that was about to attack her.

"I remember her eyes the best. Those ocean blue eyes," he said dreamily.

"You love her…" I said understanding.

"No!" His voice shook as he tried to defend his claim. "It's pathetic really. I'm going to tell her who I am Saya and I-…I am scared," he finally finished looking at me in the eyes.

"Her opinion of you won't change. She's smarter than that." I said pushing him back towards her.

"Amaya, can I talk to you?" Hayate said leading her towards the castle.

"Good luck Amaya," I said under my breath.


	6. PART 1 of chapter 15

PART 1 of Chapter 15

Ch. 14 (Amaya)

Hayate continued to lead me away from the group until we reached a small garden. It was very similar to the octopus garden music video from the Beatles. "Listen Hayate, if you needed to tell me something… you could've told me back there." He stopped and looked at me with a dead serious expression.

"Amaya, about three weeks before Sword Art Online was released I rescued a young girl. Around your age in fact." He said now sitting down in the grass.

"Haha. You rescued a girl...as if!" I said now sprawled on my back laughing on the grass. Now don't get me wrong, Hayate was a good guy. I mean he saved us back there by the ocean and when I met him the Town of Beginnings he basically saved my life multiple times…but rescue? This was completely different ballgame… in reality him saying he rescued a girl, is like me saying I'm a super model who loves dresses and everything girly.

My laughing slowly ceased as i saw Hayate looking at me with sad eyes.

"What…" I asked with a confused tone. "you're serious?"

"You're the girl I rescued Amaya, I was the boy with the sword and you were that fearful little girl. That's why didn't recognize you sooner. You seem different somehow, more sure of yourself, you're brave." As all of this hit me like a speeding bullet, I maintained a calm demeanor. On the outside I was as calm as ever, but on the inside… not so much. This was the boy that saved me? I felt my eyes get a little watery and resisted the urge to tackle him with a hug. I turned around so I couldn't see my face.

"Amaya?" He said with a concerned tone in his voice. I stood up, walked over to him, and punched him in the arm...careful to hide my eyes under my bangs. "Then I guess I should say thanks," as I said this I gathered myself. That scared little girl wasn't who I am today. I can't let my guard down…ever. The only time I did was when I was with Saya she knew I was a coward, yet she stood by my side.

I started towards a small motel before Hayate could say anything more to me. He tried to stop me and grabbed my arm before I could get through the door.

"Amaya. You aren't a coward…"he gasped. I hesitated then came to my senses. I quickly turned around and faced him.

"You may have seen me as a weakling, but I could skewer you before you even knew what happened." Suddenly his sad eyes disappeared and he smiled at this. It was a big dorky smile, but for some reason it made my face turn red and I had to shut the door in his face. I heard him yell "Ow!" and laughed at the sound.

It wasn't that I was a jerk or tried to be, but I don't want anyone thinking I need protecting. I made that clear when I trained for days and nights for months on end. I lay down in bed and stared at the ceiling, touching my and to my red and hot face. No man will ever steal my heart, especially him. It's an impossible quest. I laughed at the thought and fell asleep.


	7. part 2 of chapter 15

**PART 2 of Ch.15**

**(Amaya)**

**The gang had agreed to all find their own places to stay then meet up the following day to grab some supplies for our journey to the 100****th**** floor. When I woke up the salty air stung my eyes and I remembered when I agreed to travel with her. A smile appeared on my face, but I quickly shook it away. I walked up to the mirror and looked at my reflection. "I won't fail my friends. I have been given a second chance to be the person I always wanted to be and I won't mess this up. I will be fearless," I said as I equipped my armor. I sat down and braided my dirty blonde hair and pulled it over my shoulder. I sat there for at least an hour before heading out and headed towards the castle that towered over the city.**

**When they finally came into view I saw Katashi and Hayate laughing at something, but Saya was very quiet for some reason. "Amaya… I need to ask you something…" she said looking straight into my eyes. I nodded in response a little lost. "I challenge you to a duel!" Saya said pointing her finger at me. The boys were no longer laughing but stood dead quiet. In fact all of the players around us had stopped as well. "Saya…" I said still surprised. "It's not that I want to prove my strength, but how much I have to prove," Saya said looking at me with a confident expression. "I-…I accept. But on one condition," I said a little smile forming on corner of my face. "Name it," she answered. "You have to give it all you got. No holding back..." I finished. "I ain't gonna hold back," she answered looking as serious as ever. **

**(Katashi)**

**This was strange, even for Saya. It wasn't like her to challenge someone like that, at least not for a really good reason. Saya stood up and walked towards me speedily. "I know what I'm doing…so please trust me Katashi," she whispered. "Knock em dead," I answered awkwardly putting my hands on her shoulders. She nodded and returned to her place next to Saya. I trusted Saya…sure, but this was different. She didn't need to prove anything to anyone, not even herself. I wanted to tell her that…but once she had her mind set dead on to something you might as well give up all hope. The familiar ring of the bell to signal a challenge between players rang and they both charged. **

**They were so quick; everyone had a hard time focusing on their movements. Their swords clashed at least twenty times before a minute had passed and a large crowd had now emerged clashing their swords against their shields like idiots, making it even harder for me to think. I focused on Saya as she continuously charged Saya with a confident look on her face. I hit my head in frustration…these are two of the strongest players in SAO; this battle was going to be something to behold.**


	8. Chapter 16: Waking up

_Thank you for all the reviews guys! Really helps! _

_Now, Amaya is based of my best friend Queen of Logical Nonsense, yeah I know her in real in life. She helped my write this chapter, so thanks to her! _

* * *

(Amaya)

"I won't fight you anymore Saya!" i shouted at her as she advanced, with incredible speed.

"Why?! You don't think I'm strong enough do you!" She almost screamed a deep confusion in her eyes. "Everyone thinks that."

"Why do you care so much about what other people think of you?!" I shouted, evading her attempts to catch me off guard. "JUST KNOW WHO YOU ARE! I know you're better than this!"

"You think you know me, but the truth is you know nothing! I have been through hell and back!" As she said this she turned towards Hayate with a hurt expression on her face.

"Stop using that as an excuse!" I shouted as I clenched my fists tighter. **"My life hasn't been easy either! but I've accept what happened! I know who I am! Now its time for you to acknowledge what happened to you, and get on with your life! The world isn't going to wait for you to decided who you are! so just.. just wake up and stop feeling sorry for yourself!"** As soon as I said this, both Hayate and Katashi looked at me, completely shocked.

She stared at me, tears welling up in her eyes. She fell forward on her knees and looked up at me. "I'm sorry! Lately, i have been so confused. Trapped in my own world of hatred and lies...i couldn't see this." she sobbed, looking at me, Hayate, and Katashi.

As the crowd dispersed, Saya stayed collapsed on the ground, practically shaking. I watched as Katashi approached her and tried to comfort her, but she only pushed him away and ran.

I looked at Katashi and realized how hard this must be for him. I know for a fact he cares about her, and him being completely unable to help her. She's separated herself from who she can be by focusing on everything that's happened to her. I know for a fact that the world isn't going to feel sorry for her... for anyone.

"Saya!" He shouted after her, but before he could chase her, I grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Let her go. This is her fight, she has to figure this out on her own."

"I can't just leave her like that!" He stared at me, a deep care but sadness in his eyes.

"You're not leaving her. The best thing you can do for her right now is leave her be. If you hold her hand all the time, she'll be afraid to let go." He looked at me once more, but only nodded, agreeing.

"What you said... Amaya." Hayate started. "She's never had anyone say those things to her before."

"I know sounded harsh; But she kept using her past as an excuse to be upset. She expects people to treat her differently even though she's still hung up on the past. If she kept that up any longer, she'll break." Hayate stared at me for a second.

"I know you're right." He stood up, surpassing me greatly in height and smiled earnestly. "But I'm still worried."

"You don't have to be." I smiled. "She'll be fine, she knows who she is." I turned my back to them and brushed the dirt off my clothes.

"Yeah..." He breathed, his voice shaking ever so slightly.

After what seemed like forever, Saya approached us, a smile upon her face. The boys jumped up, excitedly.

"Thank you." She tackled me with a hug.

"For what?"

"For waking me up."


	9. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: A new beginning

**Just recently I have been receiving the most wonderful reviews! I would like to say thank you to you all for leaving those. Saya, Hayate, Katashi, and Amaya have been through so much...who knows where the wind will take them next**

**(Saya)**

What I had said, I meant. I was trapped in my past, but I never thought about all the different people trapped just like me. How they must feel…Katashi approached me cautiously later that day. "Hey," he croaked sitting down next to me on the bench. "Hey… About earlier I-" But before I could answer he had me in his arms. As he held me I felt a strange sensation. "Why are you doing this?" I asked in confusion. I didn't get a response, but he continued to hold me tighter.

"I-I-…I'm so selfish. How could you still be here? All I thought about was myself, I never thought about how this was affecting all of you. I'm so sorry!" I sobbed. There we sat, me sobbing on his shoulder like a child. He continued to hold me until I calmed down. "You know, sometimes it's good to cry," he said standing up. He looked at me with those sad eyes, and smiled at me. I had never seen him smile like this. His smile was almost obnoxious. I laughed at this, wiping tears out of my eyes.

"You know though…It's better to laugh," he said giving me his hand. I stood up and faced him. I'm ready to move on, no more hiding. Before I could stop myself, i had begun to tell him all about my life. I told him everything. At first, I was too terrified to tell him anything. For fear he would reject me, or call me crazy; but he listened intently the entire time. By the time I finished the Amaya and Hayate were walking our way. Katashi and I remained silent until they walked over. "Amaya..." I whispered to myself. How could she remain so calm after what had just happened? She acted as if the fight never occurred; her demeanor was the same as always. Except she looked different somehow… she looked happier, even though she was in the process of pulling Hayate over by his ear. I swear she is the only girl I know that can tell an assassin what to do and get away with it. Let alone pull him by the ear, as well as a hundred other things.

"Well…now what," Amaya grumbled, while polishing her new sword. "Saya already took out the boss…so we move to the next floor? Well leader?" I stared at my friends, who were all now looking at me. They want me to lead them? I unsheathed my sword placing it out and they all followed my example. "Fight, we will fight until we have conquered every floor. They all nodded and sheathed their swords. Amaya approached me after everyone had left to rest, before moving out tomorrow. "Nice speech leader," Amaya said gently placing her hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to act like I'm a piece of glass anymore Amaya," I said removing her hand. "I know that, but you are under my protection. Whatever mountains you had to climb to get to where you were yesterday…they must've been…" "Big," I said finishing Amaya's sentence. "It doesn't matter anymore though. Tomorrow, the real challenge begins and I promise we will live through this. In exchange for you protecting me…you have to promise me you will strive to survive... to live in the real world," I finished shuffling my shoots in the white sand. "It's a deal," Amaya said grasping my hand firmly. I shortly left for the motel and laid in bed for hours thinking. I promised myself then, that I would protect my friends...no matter the consequences.

Time to ship!

Hayate + Amaya=

_Haymaya_

Hayate + Saya=

_Sayate_

Katashi + Amaya=

_Amashi_

Katashi + Saya=

_Sayashi_

_I know what a lot of you are thinking…don't worry I can read your minds…Sayashi is already a thing is what you're thinking, but with Saya no longer at war with herself…will she still need Katashi there to protect her?...who knows… Please pick one of these ships and post a comment with your favorite and November 10__th__and the ship with most votes will become reality. Thanks so much guys! Happy shipping! (I'm trusting you guys here...just saying)_


	10. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 (Katashi)**

**The following months had been the hardest of my life. Day and night we were fighting bosses to move up floors. The days went by too quickly for me to even comprehend, but this just made everyone grow closer. Saya stopped distancing herself from me and we would spend any of our free time together. Amaya was her usual bold self, always throwing herself at any danger she could find… and of course, it always ending up with her victorious. She acted like she hated Hayate, but I still wasn't sure. Hayate on the other hand was still a mystery to me. I know Saya explained, but still…an assassin? I shook the thought from my head as I lay in my sleeping bag as the sun began to rise, peaking through the trees.**

**Today we would arrive on floor 47 to take a well deserved rest, and I intended to relax. Saya thinks I am a cool headed and funny guy, but in reality I am just a fake. This isn't who I am, at least in the real world. In the real world I am that loner you see in the back of the class. That one guy that girls think about approaching, but for fear of the unknown…never do. In reality, I am the quietest guy you will ever meet and rarely show emotion at all and I promised myself I would show Saya the real me. I zoned out for a while and heard a familiar voice. Amaya was sitting over me with a bucket of water. "Where's breakfast?" she asked annoyed. I looked at her then at Hayate who was still sound asleep. "I told Hayate to and was a complete idiot in doing so," I answered knowing what came next. SPLLASSHHH…. Amaya poured water onto Hayate fiercely, with a sour expression on her face. She picked him up from his collar. **

"**Where's breakfast…" she demanded. He stood up and walked towards the forest without a word. I looked to my right to see Saya still happily asleep. Without knowing I began to stare and before I knew it...SPLLASSHHH... I was drenched in icy cold water. "That's for trusting the idiot," she said, trying to hold back a smile. She probably expected me to get mad and yell at her, but how could I. I continued to look at Saya, who was now beginning to open her eyes. "What happened to you?" she asked yawning loudly. "Amaya happened," I answered going in for a kiss. "NO. NO. NO Love birds…C'mon Katashi, I need your help," Amaya said dragging me away from the now giggling Saya.**

**(I know I know…it's so short! But never fear! THE WEEKEND IS FINALLY HERE! I will be posting a new chapter or more daily! I can't wait to see how Floria turns out for the love birds, but this may lead to a new romantic twist!..maybe…mwhahahahaha.. I love leaving you guys in suspense~ sayonara!)**


	11. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 (Trust) (Hayate)**

"Welcome to Floria you guys," I said, taking a step off of the portal. I looked towards Saya who was now running towards the green lush fields. Everything here just seemed… perfect. These past months had been the best of my life and before returning to reality I was going to enjoy them. I was able to become the person I had dreamt of as a child and wanted to continue to live that way forever. Even though I knew that once we escape I would have to return to something far worse. I wasn't as much wearing a mask then becoming who I always had wanted to be. Here I could sleep in till noon and only have to worry about an extremely attractive girl pouring water on me. I was able to fight against evil with people I cared about, not despised. I finally had something to protect.

Amaya had affected me in a good way since coming here. When I started to become jealous of Katashi, Amaya always knew and would shout at me or smack the back of my head. She acted like she needed to protect us, but in reality I wanted to protect her. I played clumsy oaf since I came here, but now it was time to get serious. If anyone died because of me I would never forgive myself. As much as I wanted to put on this show for myself and the others..it just wasn't reality.

Saya and Katashi were lying in the grass pretty far away and Amaya was setting up camp. This was a chance for me to talk to her, just the two of us. I approached her slowly and grabbed onto her shoulder. WHAMM! Before I knew it I had face planted into the ground. Amaya looked a little worried then quickly turned around and continued to work. I sat up and spit dirt out of my mouth. Somehow, I wasn't surprised.

"Listen Amaya, there is something I have to tell you," I said working up the courage. I didn't know what I was going to say, or how I was going to say it. But I was going to say something. But before I could finish my thought I heard a familiar scream. Me and Amaya looked at each other and booked it towards Saya. We both ran at full speed until we came face to face with some kind of mutation of a… "A squirrel?" Amaya said in confusion. I don't know who came up with these creatures, but seriously… Saya had been kicked in the side and already half of her HP was gone. "Katashi! Get Saya to safety!" Amaya ordered, unsheathing her sword. Katashi carefully picked up the now unconscious Saya and ran back to camp.

(Amaya)

I charged the beast head on and continued to dodge its attacks one by one as they came at me. Me and the monster fought back in forth until its HP finally hit 0. Katashi approached quickly a few minutes after.

"I healed Saya, but what were you fighting?" he asked scanning the area.

"Isn't this what attacked you two?" I asked in confusion.

"I don't think this could take Saya out Amaya," Hayate said walking over. Hayate's cockiness, lazy, and weak stature melted almost immediately. He had a dead serious look on his face, which scared me a little. So naturally I grabbed his ear and pulled him down to my level.

"Amaya, that didn't attack us… It was something bigger and stronger. I just saw a glimpse...call me crazy, but I think it was a dragon. It may have been the same dragon Saya saw a year ago. If so… we need to take it down," Katashi said already walking back to camp.

"Amaya…" Hayate said as he pulled free of my grip."I have a plan to take it down, but you can't tell the others… I know Saya would stop us, but it's our only chance."

I loved Saya and wanted to keep her safe, so I nodded in agreement and he explained his plan to me.

"That's crazy enough it might work," I answered after he was done. "Why have you never showed me this side of you?" I asked troubled.

"If you knew me, you would wish you never did." he answered with a different tone.

"Don't be so sure." I huffed, causing him look at me with a shocked expression. The wind hit his face and tugged at his long bangs so I could see his eyes clearly for the first time. He had a thick scar going over his right eye, which surprised me. I reached out to his face to touch it without thinking, then suddenly pulled my hand back in. I won't let him catch me off guard…

"When do we leave," I asked. "Soon, just let me tell the others we will be gone for a few days grabbing supplies and we will set off for the beast. I nodded and followed him back to the camp, prepared for what we will face.


	12. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 (Amaya)

We left the following morning and started our four day journey. Hayate explained how we would collect the needed materials to create a poison for the beast. For some reason he was sure they would have the same poison and materials in the game. Even stranger, he knew where and how to find them. As we walked he never said a word to me or even glanced at me. I decided to stay quiet as well, we were both concerned for Saya's well being and I wanted it to stay that way. After a half an hour Hayate froze and looked towards a large rocky pass.

"Our first destination. We need to collect poison from a cave spider, if we kill it… it should give us what we want," he said walking faster towards the cave. He ran as fast as he could and jumped into the air and pointed his swor-….wait no... a sledgehammer?... Anyway he slammed it into the ground with incredible strength. I flew back as the earth below me shook. "What the?!" I yelled. "Hurry up!"he yelled back. Before I knew it we both faced a very angry large demon spider. We both unsheathed our swords and charged it head on.

I'm just going to say it now…. WHAT IN THE WORLD!? This was not the Hayate I know. His skill and strength surpassed mine greatly and I felt helpless as he attacked the beast dodging all of its attacks. But what terrified me the most was the look in his eyes. They were no longer sad, but confident…almost like he had a lust for killing. He finished it by jumping up and slicing it through the middle.

He approached me, and handed me a vial with green liquid.

"Who are you?" I asked in shock. His sad eyes returned almost too quickly and turned from me and walked in the opposite direction. "Wa-wait!" I yelled running after him. I grabbed onto his shoulder with my strongest grip.

"A killer," he said in a dark tone, then shook my hand off. I am quick on my feet, nothing should surprise me. But…this... this is a new one. I jumped in front of him and placed each hand on the side of his face and held my head up to his.

"Nope, you aren't. But I don't care who you are. But you aren't going to leave me in the dust like that. We're doing this together, so don't get cocky with me." I said sharply, causing him to smirk oddly.

"You're sure you aren't afraid to work with me?"

"Why the heck would I be afraid to work with you? You may have caught me off guard for a second, but you're still the same Hayate!"

"Thats where you're wrong, I'm not." He looked at the ground dreamily.

"Well whatever, I'm still here, and we're still finishing this."I ordered placing my foot on his back.

"Alright, Amaya," he said attempting to shake off my leg. I helped him up and walked down the path side by side. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I am ready for anything that will come my way. I will crush anyone who attempts to hurt my friends…and with that for the next following days me and Hayate defeated every monster we came in contact with. We fought as one and it was the best feeling in the world. Even though we never spoke a word since the first day we set out…I understood him and he me. Today was day five we would attack the dragon head on and destroy any chance of it killing anyone ever again.

We approached the mountain where there were rumors of a large beast being spotted. Hayate and I entered the small cave opening with caution. It was pitch black inside but we continued to walk, watching where we stepped. It had been fifteen minutes since entering and it becoming to quiet.

"Amaya… whatever you do don't move," he whispered.

"Why?" I asked confused. He pointed down and there was an endless abyss only an inch from my foot. I jumped back immediately and caught my breath. I dropped my sword in the process which hit the cave floor with a loud clang. A few seconds later the ground began to shake and I heard the loudest roar of my life. It sent a chill down my spine. I ran and grabbed my sword which had the poison applied to it. We both looked down the abyss and two large red glowing eyes appeared. I stood there frozen unable to think straight. The dragon roared once again and I slipped against the slippery, icy ground and felt myself go over the edge. I knew this was the end so I closed my eyes and accepted my fate. Until, suddenly my hand was being held my someone else's. Hayate's eyes were bright red and his expression was the scariest thing I had ever seen. He pulled me up quickly and sat me down. All in a few seconds, he put both hands on the sides of my face, and looking straight into my eyes with his scary, cold eyes.

"I won't lose you," he said taking my sword. He yelled at the top of his lungs and ran towards the abyss and well…jumped into it. After he jumped I felt something wet hit my nose. I was crying…


	13. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 (Hayate)

As I fell, I thought about Amaya and the time we had spent together this year. Every single time she punched me, yelled at me, and pushed me around... I now understood the reason why. She was afraid. I realized something else as soon as I fell onto a scaly surface…I love her. I sprinted as quickly as I could to the end of the dragons back. The thing was as big as a jumbo jet and was not going to give up easily.

The feelings that stirred inside me were the only things that were keeping me going. It wasn't about protecting the others anymore. I wanted to see her again. I mean I had to. My whole life I had been searching for something I couldn't see, but now It's right in front of me and If I let it slip through my fingers… no. I took the tip of the sword and lunged it into the dragon's back. I waited for the poison to take effect, but nothing happened. I panicked and began to slash at its neck looking for a weak point, but nothing happened.

"Hey!" I heard a familiar voice shout out. "If you're going to play hero, don't forget the reason we came here. Wrong sword stupid," Amaya stood on the dragons tail kneeling. She had tearstained eyes and two swords in hand. She threw me one and advanced the dragon. As we rushed the dragon together, a smile made its way to my face.

(Amaya)

As we ran towards the dragon I felt alive, like I could do anything. We thrust our swords into its back together and the beast fell forward and collapsed. Hayate stood panting, his red eyes disappearing. I didn't know what I was doing, but before I could stop myself I was in his arms and he embraced me tightly. Only strange thing, we were laughing…and I don't mean a little giggle. We fell on our backs hysterically laughing.

"We did it," Hayate said with a giant grin.

"You did it, and is that a real smile or just a fake?" I asked intently. His smile disappeared all too quickly.

"I thought you were going to die," he admitted looking up at towards the was quiet for a few minutes then he pulled out a sack. "It dropped this, some kind of powder," he said handing it to me. I took it reluctantly and examined it.

"I don't know what it is, but let's go home. He took my hand and together we made it out of the cave. Those next few days passed by very quickly and instead of Hayate and I keeping our distance…we talked almost the entire time. Those sad eyes were the only thing left behind, but this was the real Hayate. This Hayate never joked around, but stayed dead serious.

When we finally reached the camp we met Saya and Katashi…who were now looking at me like I was insane. Then I noticed Hayate was still holding my hand. I slipped out of it and put on my best angry face.

"I hope you know that this doesn't mean I like you or anything! You're so dumb sometimes I didn't want you to get lost or anything…"

"I know that," he said turning away from me. We stood back to back with sour expressions.

"Some things never change," Saya said leading me away by my hand. At the same time Katashi walked away with Hayate. But at that once second we both deiced to look back, our eyes met and my face began to burn.

"Saya there is something wrong with me," I said feeling sick. Saya stopped looking at me concerned. "My face is all red and I don't know why." I explained. Saya looked surprised then shook it away. "

Oh, well don't worry… that's very normal…but for someone like you, let's just say it's once in a lifetime.


	14. Chapter 23

Chapter 22 (Saya)

For the past few weeks Amaya and Hayate had been avoiding each other, not only that but Hayate had gone through some kind of transformation. He was no longer scrawny or clumsy. He held his head up high and whenever a beast came he held his ground and usually defeated it single handed. "Hayate!" I yelled out while we were setting up camp, before we moved up another floor the following day. He turned towards me with an icy cold expression. "Ma-may I talk to you?" I asked nervously. We walked to a lake and sat on the plush grass. I placed my hand on the cool soil and tugged at the grass nervously. "Your different," I blurted out without thinking. He simply nodded. "You have been watching over me…my entire life, but still when I met you I couldn't believe you were who you said you were. Now, I can…this is the real you isn't it?" I implied scooting a little closer. Our eyes met and that his cold expression melted away. "This is only a fragment of who I really am and if you knew me you would wish the worst upon me. The person you knew was the person I wanted to be, but I can't lie to you all any longer," as he said this, his harsh demeanor returned.

I grabbed his hand in a panic he might leave. This caught his attention and he waited for an explanation. "It doesn't matter. Every word you say here and now is just an echo from the past. None of it matters… at all! You have been my shield for too long, so let me shield you for once. If this is who you are I want you to remain the same. I think all of us…after we became trapped that is. We all had this dream of who we would become in this game. Like, 'Even if this is a death game I can start over completely.' I would know…I was one of them. I had this picture in my mind of a happy, confident, and strong girl. In the end, I am just trapped in the past…trying to claw away from it. From the pain, and misery it had brought to my life. Amaya and Katashi… I don't know who they were or if they are who they were in real life, but I trust them with my lives. I like what I see here and now, nothing will change that," I said poking him with my finger where his heart would be. He let go of my hand as if to say 'why?' "How can you possibly trust me?" he asked with a wide eyed expression and confused expression. I shook my head from side to side. I had to be calm and make him understand he is welcome and loved. "I will never fear you as long as I live and will always love you brother," as I said this I buried myself in his arms. After a few minutes of hesitation I felt his arms wrap around me as well. "I will protect everyone Saya…I promise," as he said this he let go and we watched the sunset looking forward to the future.

(Saya)

The talk with Hayate had gone better than expected. He was as depressing looking as ever, but whenever our eyes met I could see him crack a smile. Katashi watched one of our interactions and approached me with a weak smile. "Saya, are you alright? I mean Hayate's transformation was weird enough, but Amaya actually being openly kind to him?" "I'm as shocked as you are Katashi, but I think it's for the best," before I could finish my thought I began to slip into darkness. My eyes filled with terror as I watched myself being assaulted to my hand being bitten off and all of the terrifying moments after. Twenty experiences later I was in my adopted father's room with my sword held high. I watched myself from a distance kill the only person who had showed me kindness. I suddenly opened my eyes to a brightly filled room. I sat up and rubbed me eyes. Sitting next to my bed resting his head on my lap was none other than Katashi. He looked so peaceful I felt as though I could fall asleep myself.

I moved his bangs out of his eyes and thought about how someone so brave and courageous, could look so innocent. He awoke with a start as I tried to get out of bed. "Saya… please you need to rest…" as he said this I felt someone grab my hand. At this I felt all numb and my cheeks burned. I ignored him and tried to stand, but fell in the process. My legs were wobbly and I felt dizzy. "Saya..you have been unconscious for two months," Katashi said with a pained expression. The 74th floor has just been beaten and right now we are on floor 55. The "Knights Blood" have their headquarters here and we have all enlisted," I sat there terrified at the words he had just muttered. I had been having them drag me around floor to floor… This entire time…I just held them back. Tears began to well up in my eyes and began to stream down my cheeks. "I'm…I'm so sorry!" I croaked as he pulled me close to him by my arm. This surprised me but didn't cease my pain. I felt him warm breath on neck and his arms holding me tightly.

(Katashi)

I held her in my arms until she fell back asleep and laid her down carefully. Hayate approached the bedside and sat down beside me. "She was crying in her sleep again?" he asked scanning her face. "No, she woke up and cried herself to sleep. It looks like it was just a minor glitch in the system, but still… I thought she was never going to wake up again," as I said this Hayate grabbed onto my shoulder with a strong grip. "We all did. Let me know when she wakes up again, Amaya will want to see her. I sat by her side even after everyone had gone to sleep. "You know… you cry in your sleep? It is actually really sad to watch, because there is no way I can stop it or ease the pain for you... Sometimes you would scream a name I knew once or twice and some I didn't. Amaya told me that your blackouts were a reproduction of your experiences. How your nightmares are a ghost from the past, that you can't forget. Wh-why didn't you tell me?" I finished wiping a forming tear out of my eye. "Be-because I knew you would worry," I heard a familiar pained voice say. "I will get the others!" I said standing up. "No," Saya said trying to reach towards me. I sat back down with a concerned expression.

"My worst fear was you knowing all of that, but now I feel a little relieved you know. I was dreaming about my past, but I was dreaming about you too. How you came and knocked on my door with that weird expression on your face and how I hated you for being happy. I remember how you saved me time after time. While I was in this short-lived coma…I remembered what and why I was fighting to survive. Katashi, I want to meet you in the real world…I want to get to know the real you. Whether that is you now or a completely different person…I want to spend the rest of my life with you Katashi," as she said this her eyes began to close and she drifted off again with my hand in hers. Everything she had said is everything I had hoped for, but knew could never be reality. I equipped my armor and called the others immediately.

We will win this… "The Knights Blood" was going to be targeting a group of murderers who called themselves the "Laughing Coffin" they murdered innocent players, so they could never return home. This would need to remain a secret from Saya, if she found out she would attack with us and be in danger. Amaya, Hayate, and I would be leaving the day after tomorrow, but Saya wouldn't want to be helpless here and I wouldn't want to leave her alone. My only choice was to let her choose, but only after she rehabilitated. The next morning Saya had woken at the crack of dawn and was practicing her abilities and marksmanship. I quietly watched her multiple falls and how she looked so determined to get back up again. She's beu-… "Beautiful," I heard someone say finishing my thought. Amaya sat down beside me behind the wall. Saya was practicing in a grassy field behind a local village, and Amaya and I watched from her blind spot. "We are leaving a day early Katashi… we can be back by next week if we hurry…the village we are going to is loaded with members. I nodded and followed Amaya to headquarters. "We got someone from the guild to make sure Saya wouldn't go after us and would stay inside this area. I felt that a guard is needed when it comes to Saya," Amaya said clearing her throat.

(Saya)

I waited in the usual place for Katashi and the gang, but no one came. When I asked around, no one knew who I was talking about, which scared me. I approached the end of the village to go look for them but there was a guild member blocking my exit. "Umm excuse me? But I need to go this way so if you would ple-" The man shoved me back and ordered me to stay back. "Amaya said you were nothing to worry about…haha guess she was right," the man said laughing. Amaya… they left me?... I wormed out as much information before I challenged him to a duel. It turns out they all went to take out some players in a nearby village. They thought I was too weak.. I despised the thought and made this duel all the more enjoyable for me. The others thought they knew me but they knew nothing at all. All these battles and duels have been me training my body… Now, it begins. By the end of the day I had won 67 duels. In the morning I would head out and prove my worth to everybody…no matter how long it took.


	15. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 (Saya)

I ran to the large stadium like building the men had told me the fight would be held. I equipped my best sword and armor and sprinted inside the large doorway. As soon as I entered i could hear the clashing of swords and the distant screams of the fallen. I ran through the long hallway and at the end I watched in terror as people in dark cloaks mowed down Katashi's guild. One by one they went down and there was nothing I could do to stop the slaughter. I searched the crowd for my friends, but had no luck locating them. Are they dead?...Am I too late? As multiple questions went through my mind I noticed a young member of their guild smack one of the enemies in the side and as the person flew back into the wall there face became visible. The person's eyes were filled with greed and hatred and the strange thing, was that he was smiling. Not a normal average smile, but a crazed smile... a smile that looked forward to death and the consequences.

I did my best to remain calm, until someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me into the shadows.

"Katashi…" I muttered as relief filled my body. He nodded and I noticed his HP was now half empty.

"Ple-please stay here, stay safe. I won't question why you came here or how you defeated our guild members, but you need to know you mean everything to me and I want you to remain safe. These people aren't human anymore all they want is to slaughter as many people as possible. There are three of these battles happening right now and we are the smallest group out of them all. Most of us will either die or escape. You need to leave right now Saya," Katashi ordered fiercely. I kissed him on the cheek gently and ran out tears filling my eyes.

(Katashi)

When I watched Saya leave I sighed in relief. She would remain safe and wouldn't get caught up in this. As far as I knew Amaya and Hayate were alright, but these people grew stronger by the minute. I ran back into the battle and managed to kill three people, but my newest opponent had a different aura to him and ran at me with a kind of strength I had never seen before. He lunged his sword into my stomach and my health bar went down 20 points, that left 30 more. At that second I saw my life flash before my eyes.

I saw myself as an 11 year old boy crying himself to sleep every night unable to sleep because he felt alone. Then I saw myself as a teenager and my constant struggle to talk to people then my father's last words.

"Never give up hope my son. I promise some day you will have something to fight for and when you find it never let go," my father's last words echoed in my head. Then I saw all of my new friends and lastly Saya. I saw her face the clearest. From our awkward first meeting, she completely resented me. I laughed at the thought. Then to the small moments…how I taught her how to swim and when she lost her hand. Then finally to our first kiss… I have seen all of her sides. I have seen her frustrated, sad, mad, happy, and so many other fantastic expressions.

I shot back into reality and noticed the sword pierced through my side and said a silent prayer.

"Please free her God… I know I don't come to you often, but please!" I began to sob for the first time in my entire life. My enemy twisted his sword in my side and slowly my HP decreased. As my HP hit 5 I knew I was satisfied with my life and closed my eyes to accept my fate. When out of nowhere the man holding the sword was gone. I looked around and noticed him sprawled on the floor and disappeared into thousands of lights. There was a figure of a person behind the lights and standing there was Saya. Her two edged sword in hand and held out her other hand to me.

"I won't let you get out of this so easily," she said with a triumphant smile. I took her hand with gratitude and wiped my face so she couldn't see the tears that were now running down my face.

"You know…it's good to cry sometimes," she whispered as she applied poison to her sword.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing…Saya sprinted into the crowd with all her power and killed player after player. Some of the members of our guild stopped to watch her, I mean why wouldn't they? She was amazing the way she dodged the enemies attacks and clashed swords with them. She was just as skilled as me…no even more skilled. At that wonderful moment I realized I needed to keep on living so I could learn everything about her, because what I knew about her was just scraping the surface. This girl was like the whole universe and I was going to see it all. Visit every planet and see every star…no matter how long it would take.

(Saya)

After eliminating the major threatening players I searched for Hayate and Amaya who were nowhere to be found. After a few minutes of desperation I gave up looking and accepted what may have happened to them. They were incredible fighters, they meant the world to Saya, and the were my friends. In my sheer anger and frustration I sliced every Laughing Coffin member I could find. I was on a spree and unstoppable. My sword glowed brightly and after finishing off the last member in the corner of my eye I spotted Amaya tending to a few of the allies, giving out healing potions.

My opponent saw this as an opening and sliced my face and went for another strike, but that was his mistake. I grabbed his free hand and twisted it tightly. Katashi ran up to me and held me back from doing any more damage as Amaya came, tied up his hands and confiscated his items.

"Where is Hayate…" I demanded.

"Hayate is safe…he was badly damaged and is resting with the others."

"I…I thought you were all dead. I'm so sorry!" I screamed hugging Amaya and crying into her shoulder.

"No, you killed because you had to… you saved countless lives today Saya!" Katashi said grabbing me and pulling my in front of him.

He wiped the strangling tears out of my eyes and embraced me. We had hugged before, but this hug seemed more real to me. We stood there until Amaya coughed into her hand to get my attention.

"Katashi, I know this is a bad time, but well umnn… they have promoted you to 3rd in command. This means-"

"No…the answer is no," Katashi answered with a big smile. "I am leaving the guild…and Saya…I promise I will never leave your side again," Katashi said itching his ear now very red. I shook my red quickly. I think I just proved to you I don't need to be protected, but if you stay with your guild and keep getting stronger the quicker you will move your guild up floors.

It's ok, but…well I have been out of it for a few months so…maybe some time together wouldn't be too bad," I admitted biting my lip.

"Uhhh…hey look Hayate's awake! I am just going to ..go … over there…now," Amaya said awkwardly scooting away. We laughed at this and once the laughing ceased Katashi suddenly got on his knees.

"Saya, will you do me the honor of spending three weeks on floor 22 with me? We could go fishing and go on long walks. We could be like a normal couple…just this once," he said still on his knees.

"Well, that sounds very tempting…but I don't know. Hmm I might as well," I said laughing. "But why so sudden?" I asked.

"I want get to know the real Saya…and I want to see all of her sides," Katashi finished letting go of me.

I had been happy before, but this was an entirely new spin on the word. I hugged him once more as we approached the camp that we had made in the forest. As I was about to announce our arrival, Katashi put his arm in front of me, signaling me to stop. suddenly he pulled me behind a tree, looked at me and mouthed. "Wait a second." We peeked our heads out so we could see the little shabby camp. I looked at the camp only to See Hayate laying on his back with Amaya by his side bottle feeding him a healing potion. I almost felt bad for just watching them... almost.

"You know, you really have to be more careful." Amaya sighed, looking somewhat concerned down at Hayate.

"We won didn't we?" Hayate coughed, sitting up. "Why should I be careful?" He snickered.

"Because you're an idiot and you're gonna get yourself killed." She stated, moving her hair behind her ears.

"Wait a second. Are you... worrying about me?" He laughed, moving his head to try to see her face which she now hung low.

"Get over yourself." She spat, still hiding her face. "I don't want you to die. Thats all, stupid." After she said this, Hayate shifted from teasing and actually looked a bit happy. What took me be surprise is that suddenly he put his hand on top of hers and her head shot up.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He looked straight at her with a dead serious expression, causing her face to turn bright red and in contrast with her light features. I giggled loudly at the sight.

"You Know Katashi," We stepped out from behind the tree and entered the camp smiling. "I don't think we're the only ones in love anymore." I declared, winking at Hayate.

"SAYA! How long where yo- " Amaya yelled out surprised.

"Long enough." I laughed, pointing at Amaya's hand, which was still being held by Hayate's. Amaya ripped her hand away from his and punched Hayate for no reason.

"He-heyy! What did I do?!" Hayate yelled in defense.

"Everything!" she yelled back punching him as hard as she could in the arm. I smiled at the sight of them bickering back and forth. I was truly happy for Hayate, he had finally found someone he could really rely on.

"Was that necessary?" Katashi looked down at me, trying to contain a laugh.

"Of course. You know, after the three weeks are up I will join your guild and we will finally end this death game, but for the first time in my life I feel wanted," I said slipping my hand into his. We waited for Hayate and Amaya and all exited together.

We each received an honorary speech for our bravery in that battle, and the next day me and Katashi said our goodbyes to Hayate and Amaya.

"Katashi! Take care of Saya for me!" Amaya yelled out to us as we started to walk away from them.

"Yeah I will! Hey, and Amaya make sure you take care of Hayate!" he yelled back quickly grabbing my hand and making a run for it. Amaya quickly understood the meaning of his words and began fuming.

"What is it with you guys!" When I looked back I saw Hayate who was now slightly irritated with Amaya who was now yelling at him. We continued to run until our legs hurt and lungs burned. "Let's go," Katashi grinned as he held out his hand. I took it and so began the next chapter in my life.

(So, this should be enough to keep you guys satisfied for a while haha…at least I hope. I know..I know.. some of you were really hoping for some more Haymaya action! Well, don't worry it's coming haha.)

What will happen after Saya and Katashi go to floor 22? Will Amaya ever be able to let anyone into her heart? And how will they cope as new problems arise in their lives? Find out in the next chapter! THANKS FOR READING AND LEAVING COMMENTS!:)


	16. Chapter 25

Chapter 25 (Amaya)

The day had started out great, that was at least until Hayate entered the picture. It wasn't that I hated him, but more that we were alone. We had the entire camp to ourselves which made it way too awkward for me. Especially now that Hayate is like a different person, it's harder to beat him up now. The last few months when Saya was blacked out the rest of us needed a way to support ourselves. So, we decided to join a guild. The guild we had joined was mainly targeting floor bosses and their main goal was to beat the game as soon as possible. Nothing new had happened since Saya had gone into her coma, but everyone still worried about her like crazy. Katashi never left her side, but when he did it was for a good reason. Hayate on the other hand…he rarely visited her and when I say visit I mean glancing at her, usually while leaning against the door.

It was almost like it pained him to see her like that, which may have changed my perspective of him. Although I don't think I will ever get tired of beating him up, I can tell he is becoming immune to it.

"Hayate!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"Yes…Amaya?" he answered with a dull expression. "Did you go and get our swords sharpened?" I asked hoping for a more lively reaction. He nodded and began to walk away, when I suddenly grabbed onto his shoulder. I bit my lip as hard as I could for being so sudden and stupid. Why did I do that!?

Hayate turned around with a scary expression that would send any child running for the hills.

"Amaya…" He growled. I quickly let go of his shoulder and tried to think of something to say. "Look, it's obvious that your feelings haven't changed at all… but neither have mine." Hayate muttered looking at me with a very nasty expression. I jumped back in horror.

"what- what are you talking about?" I stuttered.

"Basically, Amaya…I like you." Hayate admitted itching his ear and looking at his feet. "Not in friend way...I like you as more than a Friend!" He shouted out looking straight into my eyes. For a moment a was too shocked to say anything. I only stood there with a blank expression. "I like you a lot, Amaya." He put a hand on my shoulder.

When finally that he said set in, I shook back to reality. I shook his hand off my shoulder, put my hand over my mouth and ran away as fast as my legs could carry me. I was on the verge of going on a rampage. I was so mad and confused… I was thinking about which style I would use when I drop kick him.

Instead, I remained silent and sat down in a corner pretending nothing ever happened. How…how could he like me? I am not pretty, let alone talented…WAIT A MINUTE…I am pretty and I am one of the strongest MMO players here! Why am I demoting myself to such a low level for Hayate's sake…

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! … This can't be happening to me! As I thought about this I began to rock back and forth holding my knees like a child during time out.

I didn't even think of something like this happening. I mean, I didn't not like Hayate. Quite opposite actually... but... no.

(Saya)

The last few days had been the best since I met Katashi.

"Hey Saya, I have been thinking lately…well urmm…I don't know, want to go fishing with me? If it sounds too boring we can do something else bu-" "It sounds fun," I said interrupting him. When we approached the lake I remembered this was the same place I had befriended Amaya. I smiled looking back at our fishing adventure and told Katashi all about it. He listened quietly the entire time and laughed a little, but he looked a little out of it.

"Everything ok?" I asked slipping my hand into his.

"So, soon it will be Christmas. I was wondering that if we are still trapped here, would you like to spend the night with me... I mean in my house…we could buy a tree and stuff.." he finished looking at his reflection in the water.

My eyes lit up and a giant grin appeared on my face.

"I think that would be nice," I answered. "I mean I have never celebrated it since I was very young, living alone there isn't anyone to spend it with…" i said resting my head on his shoulder.

"Throughout my entire life I have had this long streak of bad luck, but since meeting you only good things have happened…thank you Saya," Katashi finished kissing my head. At this point his gentle gestures didn't surprise me at all, but they still caused my heart to beat faster. "I promise I will get us out of this and when I do…we will be able to fall in love all over again," Katashi said now standing.

(Hayate)

So... I did it. I confessed my feelings for Amaya... and it sent her running. Every time our eyes met she would immediately avert her eyes and shuffle away. I started to get annoyed with the silence so I decided to catch her somewhere she couldn't run away, because there was no way I was going to chase her. I told Amaya that the following day I was going to go on a long trip over seas and asked her to come with me. Of course she objected, but when I questioned her fishing skills she decided I needed her. Honestly, love is just a pain in the butt…but even if it means I have to go out of my way to spend time with her…it will be worth it. The following day I took her out to the largest lake on the floor lake on the floor and we set out. This water was especially tinted with a poison… not deadly, but slows you down. So, I don't think she would jump put.

"Amaya, the real reason I brought you out here is to tell you that you're punching and kicking doesn't make you look tough in my eyes. It actually makes you look cute. Even though you manage to scare the crap out of other guys with just a glare…with me it won't work. Basically, you don't have to be on guard with me anymore. You can be who you are around me. I- I want you to."

"How can you say then when you know nothing about me." She looked off onto the water.

"I know that you're scared, but no mater who you are behind your mask, I'm not going anywhere." I muttered throwing her a fishing pole. For a minute she just looked at me, completely phased. It almost looked as if she might have cried if I said anything more. Suddenly she bated the rod and threw it in the water and we sat in silence for ten minutes before anyone said anything.

Then without warning she turned to me suddenly, her face a bright red color.

"So, is this a confession or something, because I am a little confused." Amaya whispered holding onto my shirt inching closer. I nodded and realized this was the first time I had ever been this close to someone.

Throughout my childhood I was trained by the government to kill and never show mercy…it was my job to get rid of their problems. I learned though that what they were doing was wrong and joined a small clan of people like me and we worked together to take out people like us. We have blood on our hands and here I am falling for the aggravating, impatient, skilled, careful, beautiful and…oh gosh. Before I knew it I was complementing her. Then I realized I had said that all out loud. Instead of Amaya looking at me in anger… she looked happy. This feeling was so new to me. It was like every second, all I wanted was to be near her.

"If it makes you feel any better, when we reach the real world I will continue to bully you, but I guess I should take a break from beating you up. If it hurts…that much," she admitted blushing a little with a serious expression. I smiled at this and I realized this was my first real smile since I was trapped here looking for Saya.

Apparently Amaya noticed this and commented,

"I like your real smile."I nodded and answered,

"Me too. You let your guard down Amaya…" Amaya shook her head from side to side vigorously and slapped her cheek quickly.

"Awake! Sorry, but I never let my guard down with anyone. I can't. The thought of being overpowered by someone... it scares me. But Its not like that going to stop me. Whatever I have to do, I'll do it. I don't care about limits or that people are stronger than me. I'll always finish, I'll always get through anything. If I'm always one guard, they'll never know I'm afraid... and I'll always make it. "With that, it all made sense. This was the Amaya on the inside. She was determined, steadfast, and knows her purpose. She doesn't have time for limits... so she developed her fiery personality to go with it.

Suddenly, it hit me... she had opened up to me. She had told me how she felt. And whether or not she knew it, she had let her guard down.

"So thats it?" I coughed, looking for words to say.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She crossed her arms.

"Its means you're pretty incredible." I stated coldly. At this her eyes widened and her face turned bright red. One second later Amaya's rod began to get pulled towards the water. She grabbed on with all her might and attempted to reel it in.

(Amaya)

"I don't need your help!" I yelled to the now advancing Hayate. Before I knew it his hands were holding onto my waist and I had to suppress the urge elbow him in the gut. I immediately threw my attention back to the fish. Whatever it was it was big. We pulled back as hard as we could and I heard a small creaking noise, like a twig breaking.

Suddenly we crashed onto the deck and when I lifted my head I realized I was on top of him. His facial expression remained completely unchanged and he stared straight up at me.

"Agh!" Heat rushed to my cheeks as I tried to get up. But suddenly, he grabbed both of my wrists and pulled me back down so I was laying against his chest.

"Hayate!" I shouted as he wrapped his arms around me and I couldn't move.

"Just a little longer," he said laying his head back closing his eyes. I laid there until I eventually fell asleep, knowing that this deserved a good butt kicking…but maybe I could let it slip …just this once.

* * *

(Eeee! Amaya is letting Hayate into her heart! Katashi and Saya are learning new things about each other and falling for each other even more. how do they plan to beat the how will Hayate and Amaya deal with their mixed feelings?)


	17. Chapter 26

Chapter 26 (Amaya)

Saya and Katashi were going to be here any moment and here we were battling the boss for the next floor. Well, we weren't exactly alone; our entire guild was facing the beast together. Me and Hayate were in the front ranks and everyone watched our backs and sides. I advanced the beast with full force, aiming for the giant ruby between its eyes. I knew it was its weak point because it would flinch whenever we landed a blow there. His HP was now at 70 points and we were already out of breath.

"Amaya! Use your power move and aim directly for the ruby!" After I get his health to 50 points. In a matter of minutes his health was already down to 50 and I launched myself as hard as I could and stuck the point of my sword into the ruby. I dug in harder and harder, until the beast fell onto its back. I stood on its foot and watched as the rest of the guild charged its face and in a few seconds this floor had been cleared.

I smirked at the sight of another victory and lead them all to the nearest eatery to celebrate. It seemed me and Hayate were the only ones not having a good time. We understood the dangers of this game and could never let our guard down.

"You know, you should relax a little," Hayate told me, taking a drink. I shook my head and punched him in the arm so he almost dropped his glass. I crossed my arms and continued to worry about everything.

"Hey," He said in a gentler tone, putting his hand on my head. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," I sighed. This caused him to smirk a bit, as he patted my head... until I shook him off with a glare. What had happened a few weeks ago would never happen again and I was certain of that. It was a big mistake to let my guard down like that. I was going to tell him to forget what had happened on the lake, but before I had the chance Katashi and Saya walked inside. Everyone began cheering at the sight of Saya who took out that entire guild. I have to be honest; I was really worried about her.

I know she can take care of herself, but she was already so broken I have been afraid that if she hits the ground too hard again…she might break for good. She told me how in the first few weeks she saw people breaking down everywhere and that just motivated her to win even more. Once the guild members had calmed down they sat down next to us and made small talk.

"Amaya… this is a big accomplishment," Saya said grabbing my hand.

"Well tomorrow we are going to target the next boss. Learn everything we can about it then attack at the end of the week," I explained.

Saya had talked to the guild leader and was now an official member. I had my doubts about letting her join, due to her blacking out problem, but she finally convinced me to let her enroll. I mean how could I say no? If I did she would probably follow us around and help out anyway. We stayed in the building until nightfall and we said our goodbyes.

"Hey, I'm going to walk Amaya to her house ok?" Saya told everyone. Saya hugged Katashi and followed me towards my place.

"Hey, Amaya?" Saya asked biting her lip.

"Hmm?" I answered.

"Do you think we will be able to win the game? I mean, I know that other people are trying too, but I keep having my doubts," she finished kicking a stone with her foot. I hesitated for a while, because I reality I really didn't think we would make it this far.

"Saya, no matter what happens after this…I promise you will be happy. You have a guy that really cares about you and wants to have a future with you. I have nothing to return to…my family…they never cared, but I want to meet you in the real world and continue to be friends!" I finished wiping a tear from my eye. Saya smiled and took my hands in hers.

I have nothing to return to either, but it will be fine, because we have each other right?" she asked tears forming in her eyes as well.

"That means we have something to live for, so let's make it out of here alive. Our bodies won't last forever. At the most we have less than a year left…" I finished looking up at the moon.

" Yeah, and when we're out of here, I'm sure we'll still have each other's backs. I know I have Katashi, but I need you also, we all do."

"Thats good to hear. I'm so happy for you Saya, he really does love you ya know."

" I know." She said dreamily. "And you know Amaya, there is someone... besides me... who really loves you." She smiled, placing her hand on top of mine. Red rushed to my face suddenly and I looked away.

"And who would that be?" I huffed.

"Oh come on, don't act like you don't know. Something happened when I was gone didn't it?"

"No, nothing happened." I lied obviously, my face bright red.

"Something did happen!" She squealed, but I stopped walked, causing her to turn around. "Amaya?"

"Saya, Hayate confessed to me." I breathed. "And I don't know how to deal with that. I don't know how I feel, about anything." Suddenly, saya's expression turned sad, but also like she understood. She hugged me tightly, then smiled brightly.

"Its okay, you don't have to. I know Hayate,. He's not asking you to know how you feel, not to change, just to keep living the way you are, and see that he likes it best that way."

"I- I think I can do that." I shook a bit.

"I think you can too."

We were now in small courtyard with few streetlamps, so you could barely see where you were going. "Hahahaha… You should've stayed with your friends Amaya," someone said who was now emerging from the shadows. This …no…. I could recognize their sign anywhere. About 20 people were behind the masked man following him closer and closer.

"Leave now and we promise not to hurt you…just give us the girl. We have …special haha..orders to take in that little cute girl hiding behind you."

"Over my dead body," as I said this I readied myself for worst. These men were killing machines plus Saya didn't have any of her equipment in her items box…they were all safely put away in her houses chest.

"Haha…you just made this a lot more interesting. But sadly…you have no choice," as he said this his fake sweetness disappeared leaving a cold tone behind. He threw a random vile at my face and shattered releasing a weird gas. I covered my mouth, but it was too late. I was paralyzed on the spot. I watched helplessly as they approached Saya.

"Ha…you really think you can catch me?...even without my armor you will all die… But, If you give Amaya the antidote and free her I will come with you quietly," Saya murmured

. "NO! I won't let them take you away!" I screamed as they threw a different vile on me, freeing me from my paralysis. One of the men took Saya and picked her up gently and carried her away followed by 10 others. I decided to do what any rational person would do, strategize.

(Saya)

I knew that if I didn't make this deal Amaya would be harmed and I would never be able to live with myself. Besides I knew she would come for me…right? The man was carrying me princess style, which was a little uncomfortable, but if I struggled I would be putting her in danger. These men were ruthless and cold blooded…yet they treated me like this. After about an hour went by we reached a dark warehouse and I prepared for the worst.

When we entered it was pitch black but I could sense other people nearby, hiding in the darkness. "Welcome!" a man said emerging from the darkness. I squinted my eyes attempting to make out his features, which were flawless. He had blonde hair that laid on his shoulder and what looked like red eyes. I immediately thought he could have been wearing contacts when he was trapped here, but something was telling me they were somehow natural. He had sickly white skin, although looked pretty fit. He was maybe 17 or 18 and his smile was welcoming, but something told me he had been to hell and back.

I didn't smile back or say a word. "The reason you're here is because you slaughtered a good amount of my faithful companions, but you're life isn't in danger yet. I have a proposal, join our guild Laughing Coffin and in return your friends will remain safe. This also applies though to when this death game ends. You will be my faith full companion," he finished with a sneer. I laughed at this and he turned his attention towards me. "Do you really think I am that stupid?" I answered spitting at his shoes. He kneeled down so our faces were leveled. "I told you," he said to the men behind me who immediately let go of me.

"You pass. See, my friends had told me about your power, but I needed to make sure you weren't a power craver. I grabbed his arm and pulled up his sleeve, but the tattoo was missing. I sighed in relief and sat down not saying a word. "The girl with you…I know her, well let's just say I know her too well. Before her father died, he promised to her me…I have the contracts in my apartment for proof…but when I heard she was trapped here I couldn't help but worry. So, I entered the game ignoring the consequences," he said holding his hand over his heart. "You're stupid," I answered in a dull tone.

Amaya…had never told me anything about her life. So, her father is dead?... She said she had nothing, but I feel like this is just scratching the surface. This guy..but how? An arranged marriage…She would hate this. "I understand for the most part, but why do you need me?" I questioned. "Well, I had heard you were remotely close to her and I would like for you to introduce me," he said putting his hands behind his head in a laid back manor. There was a sudden scream In the back round and I couldn't help but smile. "Looks like she found you. Umn…I think you should run," I advised, wearing the biggest grin I could manage. The front door was soon knocked down on the floor and there stood Amaya as furious as I had ever seen her and I actually felt bad for these people.


	18. Chapter 27 mini chapter

**Hope you guys like this little chapter I whipped up… I don't know how long it will be until the next chapter so this should keep you guys from killing me because of the last cliffhanger. It's not that it's funny when I do it or anything…more like it's the funniest thing in the world! Haha ok guys enjoy!:D**

Chapter 27 (Amaya)

I did what any girl would do when your best friend is kidnapped by men in strange masks…follow them and knock their door down. I stood there panting, infuriated by Saya's kidnapping. I would never dream of killing someone if it wasn't necessary, but this was unforgivable. I knew they weren't Laughing Coffin, due to them not noticing me for the past hour. I would drop their HP to 5% at most then move on. I memorized my surroundings immediately. I noticed Saya being held from behind a …whoa. This guy was, agh never mind. "Te-tell her we aren't the enemy!" The man behind her ordered with fear behind his ruby red eyes.

"Hahahaha. You kidnapped me…and now my friend wants to kick your butt.." Saya answered smirking. I smiled back and dropped my sword. Not necessary. I ran at each person I faced with as much force as possible and threw my fist into the first's gut then the chin with the second. I knew they couldn't feel it but took out enough HP necessary. I was no lvl 94 so every punch decreased their HP rapidly. Plus, they weren't wearing any armor. I mowed them down in minutes. I approached Saya with caution and before I knew it her capturer was grinning like a mad man. He let go of Saya and began to walk towards me slowly.

(Saya)

So…she beat the crap out of everyone…I feel better now. "Amaya..he isn't an enemy," I explained. This guy continued to walk towards her which led on he was an enemy. Amaya stood frozen as he approached her. Then he did something I could never predict. He bowed down on one knee and took her hand in his and gently kissed it. I shouldn't had been laughing, but it was hard not to. Merely a second after he did this…Amaya had thrown him by his legs into the wall on the opposite side of room. I whistled, as if to say nice one. "WHAT'S HIS PROBLEM?!" She screamed scanning for any other people she could beat to a pulp. "The thing is…he is-" "The man who you will marry," the stranger finished for me. Amaya looked at me like I was crazy and approached him grabbing onto his collar. "No way…you're the man my father told me about?" she questioned. The man grabbed her hand and removed it from his collar.

I expected Amaya to punch him, but she remained still. She bowed in front of him and ran out of the warehouse, before I could say a thing. "

I am Yoshida Ryou, but you may call me by my first name…you being close to Miss. Amaya. She is…forced to marry you?" I asked in shock. He nodded and offered me his hand, which I ignored and got up myself…flinching at every movement. So, Amaya does have a weakness…

(Amaya)

While I lay in bed, I thought about how I would end up living with my friends in the real world. Never worrying about my past or…what I had to face. I thought I could be normal…tears welled up in my eyes at the understanding that I belonged to someone. Before my father died he promised me to a man from a well off family, so I wouldn't live on the streets. He gave up everything for me and this entire time I was just being selfish. I accepted the fact that I would marry him ev-…even if it meant leaving some people behind. "Haayyaatteee!" I screamed into my pillow, tears running down my cheeks soiling my blankets. I laughed at the thought of wasting tears on him. I laid on my back sprawled against my bed laughing until it hurt. Laughing and crying?...That's a new one. I guess I do…no…eh…no matter how much I wanted to deny it, I couldn't. I..i- care about him.

**(This is a mini chapter to tease you Haymaya fans a little…but in all seriousness… this is a big step for Amaya…but now that she has admitted to herself how she feels…it's too late…or is it?)**


	19. Chapter 28

Chapter 27 (Amaya)

The next morning I refused to go to the usual meeting place, I couldn't face everyone like this. My eyes were red from last night and I could barely think straight. This guy was…everything I could ever want before I entered this game, but now I feel like I have changed for the better. After an hour of procrastinating, I finally got out of bed and left my room without changing into my armor let alone clothes. I felt broken inside, but I was determined to fix it…somehow. I walked down the street to the nearest eatery, in my pjs with bed hair. Of course people stared at me, but I honestly didn't care at this point.

I ordered some Danish pastries and walked back to my home, but when my house was in sight I noticed someone was sitting by my front door. "What the…" I mumbled. I approached the house slowly…I expected to see my soon to be husband…but I sighed in relief as I saw Hayate sitting down with his head down. His long bangs covered his eyes, which gave him a mysterious look.

"Hey…" I stuttered. He didn't answer, but remained where he was.

He stood up suddenly and pulled me by my hand into the house. He dragged me through the hall and pinned me against the wall by my arms. I was surprised by this, but the surprised expression soon disappeared. He made it clear about how he felt about me, but…I never told him about this. I mean I almost wanted to die here, so I could avoid a life where I was forced to be with someone I didn't even know.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Hayate yelled with a pained expression...his eyes were absolutely terrifying. I didn't answer and bit my lip. I only stared at him, trying desperately not to let tears escape my eyes. Instantly, Hayate's anger filled eyes cleared like a morning fog. He gently let me go and sat on my bed with his head in his hands.

(Hayate)

Saya had told me last night that some weird man had come to take possession of what he said and I quote, "My gift." I knew I would hate this guy, thinking he can claim Amaya like she is some baggage. It was people like this..that are the reason I joined The League of Assassins. People like this only brought pain and misery to anyone they were with and it made me sick. I shouldn't had been this angry, but I felt offended at his statement.

"Amaya…I'm sorry," as I said this I pulled her close so she was leaning against my chest and pulled my arms around her. Never before had she let me be so close to her. And for the first time, she cried. I clasped her closer to me and did my best to calm her down.

"I don't... want to belong to him." she cried. seeing her like this, pained me even more. she cried continuously, until I noticed she had cried herself to sleep. I held her in my arms, cradled as if she was a small child. What I'm ashamed of is that I wasn't only sorry for her, I was sorry for myself. I wanted to be with her forever, not let that guy have her. Was it horrible that I was so selfish. She would be comfortable her whole life, but would she be happy?

"I'm so sorry." my voice cracked as a looked upon her tearstained face. I wiped away a lingering hear from her face. "I'm so sorry." I felt a piece of my heart break seeing her like this. My blood boiled with hatred for that man, there was no way I was ever going to let him have her.

"Hayate… please don't apologize." She opened her eyes slowly. "What's done is done and there is nothing I can do about it," she admitted, sitting up. She stood up while going into her menu bar to apply her armor.

"That's where you are wrong. I don't know how, but I won't let this happen to you!" I said losing my cool demeanor. She giggled suddenly at my remark.

"I have never seen you like this before," she said stumbling towards the door. I grabbed her arm and looked into her eyes. I was going to say something, but let her go instead.

(Saya)

Ok…so new mysterious dude from Amaya's past…cool. What wasn't cool was that he was staying with me. Ryou had said he had nowhere to go, yet he had an entire squad with him whenever he left the house…almost like bodyguards. You know the expression "Eaten me out of house and home?" that was true in this case. He literally ate everything…I had stored a year's worth of food in one of my chests and when I returned from a mini quest everything was gone. The worst part was that when I woke up he was lying beside me in my bed and this was where it crossed the line. In my fury I kicked him as hard as I could in the gut, which woke him up and sent him flying off the bed.

"What was that for?" he asked rubbing the back of his head.

"What do you think?"I questioned resisting the urge to sick Amaya on him. If Katashi found out I was harboring this guy, he would probably throw him out himself. Luckily, Katashi was on a scouting mission starting today with the guild, but the only reason I was taking care of this freeloader was to keep him away from Amaya.

The real truth to this though was that Amaya had run out last night with tears in her eyes. That was the first time I had ever seen her cry and I knew it was for a good reason. Amaya had always been so strong and brave, but I think Hayate may have made her vulnerable.

It was one thing to fall in love, but it was an entirely different thing to watch people you care about go through the same Thing. For so long Amaya had been alone, but now she has someone to care about her, and this guy is just here messing everything up.

I had explained the situation to Hayate because if anyone could get through to her it was him. I was truly happy for him, he finally had someone to protect and cherish. All Ryou talked about was his giant mansion, but the funny thing was that he said it as if it should impress me. He had no sense of reality and hadn't been through hell like me. I wish he could see the things I had. His good looks were the only thing he had going for himself and I hoped that his grin would be wiped off his face as soon as possible. Then…Hayate walked in looked seriously ticked, Amaya following behind him.

(Amaya)

Everything was happening way too quickly for me to comprehend and the best I could do was keep moving forward. I approached Saya's house and when I entered all eyes fell on me. Ryou stood up immediately and approached me, but to my surprise Hayate put his hand in front of me, guarding me from Ryou.

"I am Amaya's protector…you won't come near her without my approval or you'll answer to me. understand?" he finished leering at him with his eyes narrowed. It was this expression that helped me remember he had blood on his hands and has killed people before. Ryou jumped back at this and afterwards realizing how cowardly he looked…coughed into his hand stupidly. Saya laughed a bit, looking at me.

I usually would have scowled Hayate for this, but I was happy I didn't have to deal with him. I allowed him to follow me to my seat and didn't say a word to anyone. Whenever Ryou attempted to talk to me Hayate would shoot him a dirty look, which shut him up immediately. I had to admit…this made me happy, but he couldn't protect me forever. I knew what reality was and what I would have to endure in the future.

Maybe I was wrong for letting him do all this, it was clear now how he felt about me, and all I was doing was making it worse. He's going to get hurt, so I should just cut ties shouldn't I. But maybe I'm selfish because I'm never going to do that... I don't want to. I want to keep him by my side, I want him to keep making me smile... All these selfish feelings!

Hayate sat down next me with a cold expression and put his arm over my chair and around me. At this moment my heart skipped a beat and I couldn't calm down. I was unfamiliar with this feeling, but I was ready to accept it with everything I had.


	20. Chapter 29

Chapter 29 (Katashi)

When I arrived at Saya's house the night I returned from my quest…the last thing I expected to see was a strange man sleeping in her bed. I looked around the room and noticed Saya sleeping peacefully on her couch. I didn't know who this guy was, but it wasn't going to fly with me. I grabbed him by the collar and shook him until he woke up.

"Who are you?" I demanded. Saya yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"It's a long story," she answered.

"Wa-wait…so this is her… and he is…" I mumbled in confusion. She nodded, understanding what I was trying to say.

"Saya? Can I talk to you?" I asked leading Saya away from the now fast asleep Ryou.

"Saya, why are you taking care of him? I mean he is a freeloader…look at him," I finished with a disgusted expression. Saya sighed and slipped her hand into mine. This shouldn't have surprised me, but still for some reason whenever I was near her my heart would skip a beat.

"C'mon…"she said leading me away from the house. We walked hand in hand until we reached the center of the town. We both sat on a nearby bench in front of a large fountain. "Listen, as crazy as Amaya's predicament…I have been thinking we should focus on different things…" she said rubbing her hands together. The thing was that as the seasons changed here so did the temperature. I took off my jacket and gently wrapped it around her. "It's about my past… Katashi, I have killed someone…but not just in this game in real life. I have been living all this time, because I am afraid I might do it again. Lose control and do what I am told without questioning the consequences," she finished inching away from me.

What she had just said should have surprised me, but instead I was a little relieved. The whole idea of her opening up to me allowed me to comfort her in a way no nobody ever could.

"Saya…I know I haven't said this before but, I love you. I will never let anything happen to you…no matter what you had done in the past…it doesn't matter to me. That was then and this is now…let's focus on now and when I say that I mean staying together. I have told you I would protect you in the past, but if anything ever happened to you I wouldn't have a reason to live. In other words, you're the only reason I am still fighting. The thought of having someone I can protect and be with fills me with such gratitude Saya," I finished looking at her beautiful seaweed green eyes that were now filling with tears.

I got off of the bench and kneeled down so I was looking up at her. "Saya… I have never done this before, but I will be eighteen soon and I don't care how long it will take or how hard I will have to try, but I promise I will support us… I mean… Saya? When you turn 18…will you spend the rest of your life with me?" I asked shutting my eyes, afraid of rejection. It was quiet for a little when suddenly someone tackled me to the floor laughing. Saya was on me laughing with tears falling from her eyes falling on my face.

"So, is that a yes?" I asked grinning. She nodded quickly and rested her head under mine. We must've looked pretty weird, but I didn't even care. This was the happiest moment of my life and I wanted to stay like this forever. Reality was that we were trapped in a virtual reality videogame and if we didn't beat it, our bodies would eventually die. Also, if we die here we die in the real world. The whole idea was like something out of a manga. At that moment in time though, I promised myself I would protect her, even if it cost my life.

(Amaya)

When I saw Katashi piggybacking a sleeping Saya I knew something was off. So, when Saya woke up, I questioned her on where she went with Katashi.

"So?" I asked interested.

"You see…Katashi. He…he wants to spend the rest of his life with me once we beat the game. Listen, I know things are a little jumbled up now…but I promise things will get better," Saya said hugging me. No word could describe how I felt at that moment. Saya had been through more than any of us, and she was finally getting her happy ever after.

I do care about Hayate, but now with Ryou here to claim me…there wasn't much I could do. Maybe I should just go fight in the main ranks… at least I could die knowing I made a difference. No, that would be suicide. There was no reason to throw away my life because this man thinks he owns me. Somehow I was going to make this right…somehow.

(Hayate)

It wasn't fair! I thought to myself pounding the wall with my fist. I didn't flinch, but at this point I wished my hand would bleed. If I could feel physical pain it might had made this a little easier. I wouldn't hurt so bad if I didn't love her as much as I do. She's the only person who's ever made me feel this way. I've waited so long, endured every beat down, been by her side this whole time, and now she's just being taken from me. If I can't be with her, if I can't stay by her side, one of these days, she needs to know exactly how I feel.

The following day I went to Amaya's to pick her up. I didn't trust this Ryou guy. It seemed he had bad intentions at heart either way, so any chance I can get her away from him, I'll take it. I didn't understand why I was so angry, but it seemed clear after seeing Amaya. She was the only person who could calm me down just by looking at me. Her long blonde hair shined under the sun and her bright blue eyes sparkled like the sea. She was aggressive, tough, and sometimes scary, but she was also incredibly smart and sympathetic. This was a side of her that only I got to see.

"Hey." she said handing me her baggage.

"What's all of this for?" I asked taking it from her.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm gonna stay with you. That's okay right?" she smiled, looking up a at the sky.I could tell she was out of it…considering she forgot to punch me or smack me in the face for no apparent reason.

"Yeah." my voice cracked. I didn't ask why, because I had learned to just let things be. I assumed it was so Ryou couldn't find her, which on her part was a good idea. Besides, this way I could watch over her. I held her luggage over my shoulder and we walked for fifteen minutes before anyone said anything. What was impossible is that I couldn't just tell her everything, tell her how angry I was, tell her how much I didn't want her to go. I couldn't say anything. I was sure now that she felt the same way, but could I now? could I tell her everything, exactly how I felt?

Maybe there's no hope for us. She's practically been sold, and there was nothing I could do about it.

"You know Hayate…I am going to fight." she looked over at me seriously. "No way is he just gonna think he can claim me like that. I won't give up without a fight. Not until he knows exactly who he's dealing with." She stated determinedly, clenching her first and smirking at me. Hearing her say this put me at ease, and reminded me that this girl, was not helpless.. not even close. I laughed a bit and patted her head, causing her to look up at me with a pouty face.

"You know…you could have just stored that in your inventory stupid…" I said sarcastically... resulting in her punching me in the gut. There was the Amaya I knew.

"there are a few things I would like to do manually." she said taking the bag and walking faster. I understood how she felt…once we escape it will be strange trying to get use to the real world. My biggest worry though, was that I wouldn't be able to get out of my contract…but like Amaya said…I will fight.


	21. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 (Saya)

We had all agreed earlier that week that we would do our best to help win the game. It was now December 24, Christmas Eve. Even if this wasn't the first Christmas I had spent in the game I was still very excited. Katashi had promised we would spend both Christmas Eve and Christmas day together and nothing was going to mess this up. Ryou had left my place after Katashi kicked him out and was now staying at Amaya's. Funnily enough, Amaya was going to be spending her Christmas alone with Hayate. I laughed at the thought and left my house to meet Katashi in the usual place. We were all now in the Town of Beginnings. No one could die here, but I was relieved to know that any possible disturbance was impossible.

Most of the adult players had perished in the first year and few remained. Just like the real world, you can get yourself drunk if you're of age. It was added after he trapped us here. I don't know if it was out of pity for those who wished to drown their sorrows or if he just humored the idea. But I didn't think that was the case. I hurried towards the center of town where you could see young couples around every corner. The truth was, I was nervous. I sat on the nearest bench and waited for Katashi, while rubbing my hands together.

It had taken me hours to pick out my clothing, which was strange for me. I had never had this issue before, but now whenever I thought about him or even visualized him I would start to day dream. Once, Amaya told me I began to drool. DROOL! Honestly, love was a pain, but I agreed with myself that I could put up with it for now. I wore a red scarf that wrapped around my face covering my mouth and part of my nose. I had black leggings and a small brown coat on.

I waited and waited and waited…for hours on end. I waited until I eventually fell asleep. I woke up to someone gently shaking my shoulder.

"Merry Christmas Saya! But what the heck are you doing here all alone?" Amaya asked looking down at me. Hayate was with her, but for some reason he wouldn't look me in the eye. I didn't answer her question, but continued to wait. I knew it was stupid, but, he promised. I thought he would at least come on Christmas Day…right? After realizing I wasn't going to move, Amaya left with Hayate. I sat there all day without budging. The sun began to set and it began to snow. At this point I was hungry and tired. I knew it would be foolish to stay, so I sat up and began on my way to my place. When I walked up to the door, there was a letter laying on the door mat.

_**Saya, I know I promised we would spend the next two days together…but one of my friends is in danger and I need to go help assist him. No one is aware of my parting besides you and you alone. I would tell you not to follow me, but I haven't left a trace. I will be back by the weeks end. ~ Katashi **_

Sweet relief flushed through my body at that moment…he didn't forget. The rest of the week had been extremely lonely without Katashi around, even if Amaya visited me every day. A week had passed…and I began to worry. Two weeks had passed and I began to speculate if he was safe or not. The following days I had asked people if they had seen him or knew any information on his whereabouts.

"Ummn excuse me? Have you seen a boy maybe 17, with black hair level 89?" I asked a group of boys.

"Actually I have, except he was holding a bronze sword," the oldest one said walking up to me. At that moment I realized who knew where he was.

Lisbeth was the only person who could've sold that to him. Besides, Katashi wouldn't buy armor or weapons from anybody else. I had a lead and I was going to use it. Amaya had offered to help me, but I knew where she went Ryou followed and that was the last thing I wanted. At this rate it would take a two day trip to arrive, so I packed my inventory and set off the following day. The sun was just rising and I could still see the icy covering over the long field of grass. It was very beautiful and reminded me of when I was a child.

Every day during winter father would take me out and would play with me in the snow. Even if I could barely stand at the time…I remember it well. The two days had gone by too quickly to even comprehend and when Lisbeth's shop was in my sight I ran towards it as quickly as my legs could carry me. I opened the door to find her sharpening Katashi's old sword. As soon as she saw me she flung it to the side and awkwardly greeted me.

"I already know," I said ignoring her attempts to get a conversation started.

"I won't tell you where he went," she said with a sour expression. I took this as a challenge and took her most prized scathe out of its glass case.

"If you don't tell me…I will break it. Even if I pay you back, there is no guarantee you will ever be able to create such a weapon as long as you live. You may be my dearest friend, but he is my most precious treasure," I said holding the weapon over my knee prepared to break it.

"Wait! Fine…but don't even think about following hi-….never mind. He told me that some people he knew had some leads on who was co the game and apparently he is trapped in it as well. Only, he still controls it. At his command we could all be freed…same thing if he dies. Instant restart," she said snapping.

"Before you get any crazy ideas Saya… they still don't know where he is, but he has partners. That is who they are targeting. One more thing…each partner is a co-leader to your guild," she said taking the weapon from me.

That means they were in control of how long it would take us to escape? Our guild was one of the strongest and was run by the strongest male player in the game itself. Lizbeth's Boyfriend was apart of it along with a girl named Asuna. I was relieved knowing they weren't Co…but were higher up than all of us. I, Katashi, Amaya, and Hayate were right below them in ranking, but we never met.

If he hasn't come back…does that mean he died? NO. I refused the thought and ran faster than I had ever run in my life and turned a two day trip into two hours. I had pushed myself to the point to where I couldn't move. My HP was at 5% when I reached the guild and without thinking pushed through the front door panting. When I entered everyone stared at me like it was an honor. I was no level 87 and nothing could easily take me out. Some people ran to my aid and gave me a healing potion. In a matter of seconds I was back to my usual self.

"Where is Katashi!" I asked the general. He turned towards me smirking.

"He attempted to murder his highness so he will be executed tomorrow," he answered pulling his hand towards my chin. I slapped it away and sprinted to the dungeon. I feel like I was seeing things no one deserved to. I always knew guilds had their secrets, but no one deserved execution. And calling the guild leader his highness?...What was that about… I examined each cell for Katashi, until finally I found him at the end.

"Katashi!" I screamed grasping onto the bars. He didn't even acknowledge me.

"Saya…leave," he ordered. I shook my head in response with tears beginning to escape my eyes.

"I am going to get you out of here ok? Just le-"

"No… Saya, I never attempted to kill him. Sure, that was my objective, but I accidently heard a conversation no one should have. I went with them quietly, only because I was in such shock. They never planned for us to beat this game. They just liked watching us…tempting is no winning the game, it was all a scam. They are in full control of the situation Saya. It is true if we did beat the bosses it would end, but they will never allow it. All of those people that died…Sachi,"

he finally finished beginning to sob.

"N-no! We can still win! I know we can, please Katashi!" I pleaded banging on the bars with my fist. It was no use though… he wouldn't listen to me.

"Looks like someone else ignored the rules and came down here without permission. Punishable by death you know hun." A slimy guard said walking up to me. Another one followed…the man from before. He grabbed my arm and began to pull me away from the bars.

"Haha why don't we have some fun with her?" the first guard laughed. The other one grinned evilly and agreed.

"Don't touch her," Katashi said in a deep, demanding voice. The guards only laughed at this. "I said…don't touch her," he said now standing up walking towards the bars. His long bangs still covered his eyes and this gave him a scary appearance.

"Duel with me…I don't need a weapon. Just, end me now." Katashi said putting his hands up. The guard scoffed and opened the door to the cell. Katashi suddenly flung himself at the guard with incredible speed and knocked him out cold with one swing to the stomach and did the same with the other guard.

"Let's go," as he said this he grabbed hold of my hand. Even though so many things were flying through my head I only noticed one thing. His hand was ice cold.


	22. Chapter 31: Finale

_**Hey everyone! So... this is the end :( I just wanted to throw out a few shout outs to some of our readers! Felese, Jacki-rei, and Ame649, thank you so much for the kind words… Also, if you never asked me to continue writing the story probably wouldn't had become this popular or big. I love you guys so much, along with everyone else that has left a review. ~Arigatou **_

_**Also: As you read this, there is a link on my profile for the music that **_**_inspired this chapter and should be listened to while readoing, makes the experience that much more enjoyable._**

Ch. 31 (Katashi)

I led Saya out of the dungeon as quickly as possible, ready for the long battle ahead. Apparently the game master had many people working for him within the game. I was going to win this game today, no matter what it will take. When we finally exited, I jumped back in surprise to see Amaya and Hayate sitting on the floor looking extremely bored. What I failed to notice was the hundreds of lifeless bodies lying all over the place. Saya and I looked around in shock as Amaya approached us.

"Surprised? Don't be, Hayate and I apparently asked the wrong questions about your whereabouts and they attacked us. Simply self defense," she finished leaning against Hayate's arm in a laid back fashion. Hayate didn't flinch, but ignored it all together.

I had never really spoken to Hayate before, but I knew he was different from before. His relaxed nature had vanished and evolved into this dark warrior.

"Where's Ryou?" Saya asked hugging her.

"Well, let's just say we shook him off our trail," she said smirking a little. I swore I saw Hayate crack a small smile, but I guess I was imagining things. I informed Amaya and Hayate of the current situation and what we were up against. After I was done explaining Katashi handed everyone a strange vile.

"Apply this to your main weapon and it will slowly but surely suck at their HP. Only use this on our targets. My comrades were killed attempting to kill them, so know you are putting your lives on the line," I finished explaining with a grim expression.

Everyone nodded in agreement and dispersed. Amaya and Hayate were to target Daika…ours Hiroshi. We ran to the left side of the tower to face our opponent, who was supposed to be in his room dining. How I knew this? I have connections is all. As we approached the hallway, Saya tugged on my arm.

"In case we don't make it out…I want you to know you changed my life and I love you," she said looking down at her feet. I forced a smile to reassure her everything would be fine.

"It will be fine, I promise," I finished pulling her into a hug. "Promise?..." she repeated.

"Promise," I answered. I slowly approached the door and turned the door knob with shaky hands.

(Hayate)

I followed Amaya without hesitation to the courtyard of the castle. At this moment I felt truly alive. It was these feelings I had tried my best to leave in the past. It was just like my missions when Saya was still a child. As I watched Amaya silently from behind I couldn't help but stare. Her beauty, strength, and bravery were so strange to me. I don't know what came over me, but I grabbed Amaya from behind while she was sneaking behind a bush, catching her breath. I held her against my chest as she faced forward. I held her with my arm wrapped around her waist so she couldn't wriggle away

For a second, she seemed too shocked to move. But then I felt her relax, as if she was okay with it. After a minute or two though, she finally smacked me in the head and broke free. She turned to face me as red as a tomato, wearing the cutest pouty face I have ever seen. However, she looked like she could take on the whole world without a problem.

"After this is over, take me to get a burger?" she suddenly said. She quickly flung her hands over her mouth, like she was embarrassed about her proposition.

"Whoever kills this dirtbag first doesn't pay. Deal?" I said smirking at her.

"Deal," she answered with a giant grin on her face. So this is what love is. I feel like I have known her forever, but I suppose that is just a setback to these feelings. I laughed out loud at the thought.

(Amaya)

When he grabbed me from behind I felt like the world around me disappeared all at once. I shouldn't have allowed him to hold me that long, but the shock at what he had done had delayed my reaction. The feelings I was sure were now mutual, but how I would express this to him in the future I didn't know. There was no way I would just hug him randomly in a life or death situation, because I would never have that chance. A life and death situation? What am I thinking? I smacked myself in the head for thinking about such idiotic things.

We finally caught sight of our target as he patrolled the outer garden. Who guards a fake garden?...As if in perfect sync me and Hayate charged. Katashi had informed us that our target was much more skilled than theirs. Apparently their target helped fix minor bugs from within the game while ours killed off any players who were too interested in the defects in the game. Our swords clashed the moment we reached him. This man was a wielder of two swords. He skillfully dodged all of our attacks until finally Hayate landed a blow in his side. He fell on his back as his HP was slowly draining away.

"I don't want to die!" he cried tearing away at the grass beneath his hands.

Hayate and I watched in disgust and then a thought hit me. This was barely a challenge; this couldn't have been the skillful one.

"We have the antidote and only request your name in return for your life," I lied staring him down.

"Hi-Hiroshi!" he sobbed.

"We have the wrong opponent…that means," I mumbled under my breath. Hayate and I ran towards where Katashi and Saya were, leaving the screaming fool behind us. Only one problem, the men I had knocked out before, were all conscious again.

"Together?" Hayate said preparing himself. I nodded and we fought as one.

(Katashi)

As soon as I opened the door our swords had already clashed. It was almost like he expected us. I shook away the thought as the large man through himself at me. He had long brown hair and wore a stupid confident smile. His movements were too quick for me to comprehend and he always knew my next move. He completely ignored Saya, focusing completely on me. Every single time our swords clashed I felt my body vibrate from the impact.

If this was the weaker opponent, I feared for the other's lives. Every step I took I took with ease knowing Saya could be injured. I landed a strong blow to the handle of his sword shattering it to pieces. A trick a friend from my old guild taught me. At that moment hundreds of memories flowed through me. I saw Sachi's face and fell down on my knees, losing my ability to stand. At that moment Saya did something incredibly stupid. She charged him with her sword held firmly with both of her hands.

The man anticipated this and kicked her in her left leg, causing her to fall to the ground. He picked up her sword and held it over her small body. I sprinted and jumped in between the sword and her and without thinking pushed my sword into the man's stomach as he did the same to me. I felt the poison doing its job, slowly leaching away my life. At that moment I fell back onto Saya. Paralyzed I was able to see Amaya and Hayate rush in and finish off our opponent.

(Saya)

At that horrible moment, I realized my fantasy would never become reality. I laid Katashi's head on my lap and kiss his head gently. Tears escaped my eyes as I watched his HP decrease. Amaya and Hayate looked at Katashi with pained expressions and left us.

"I-it's ok to cry sometimes Saya, but now isn't the time," Katashi said wiping my cheek weakly. 70%.

"Pl-please! There has to be something that can cure this," I said resting my head on his chest. He stroked my hair gently and did his best to comfort me. I sat up and was surprised to see him smiling.

"Bu-but why?" I stuttered. 40%.

"Saya, there are so many things I have wanted to ask you and tell you, but I guess that will have to wait. I have no regrets, about anything. (25%) Every second I spent with you was a precious one, and I will treasure these memories forever," he said still smiling.

"But, what about that date you promised me?" I said suppressing the urge to cry again. 10%.

"Keep living for the both of us Saya," he said kissing me. He had kissed me before, but this kiss was different. It felt real. 1%. He smiled at me for the last time and turned into small fragments of colors. I sat on my knees unable to think. Maybe he will be ok…he planned this out; there might be a way to get him back. NO…his death was my fault. If I never had charged like that, he would be here now. Suddenly the world around me materialized and suddenly felt weak.

I woke up in a small hospital room attached to cords. I sat up weakly with all of my strength. My first thought was Katashi, and then I remembered. He told me not to mourn his death, but to continue living for the both of us and that was what I would do. Apparently a player had challenged the game master and won, releasing us from the game. I of course had no home to return to, but the idea of living on the streets didn't surprise me. I would continue to live no matter what it would take.

(Amaya)

When I opened my eyes, I weakly sat up and examined the hospital room. I sat there for about twenty minutes before anyone came in. She helped me up and told me my bill had already been taken care of and I was welcome to stay in the hospital as long as liked. Before she could utter another word I ripped off the cords and limped towards the exit of the hospital. My skin was saggy and my cheekbones icy cold. Once I finally exited the hospital, I felt the warm sun on my skin. I laughed loudly, but with only one person on my mind. I took another step, but fell towards the concrete. Before I hit the ground, I felt someone catch me from behind.

When I turned around, I was shocked to see Hayate standing behind me with one arm around my waist. He helped me up and swept me up in his arms. As he carried me away from the hospital in his arms, I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes. I didn't know how he had the strength to hold me, but I didn't question it. He held me closely, until we reached a small park. He rested me on the small bench and handed me something wrapped up in foil. He handed it to me carefully and when I unwrapped it, there was a fresh burger inside. I smiled at this and when I looked up at him, his long bangs were covering his eyes. His hair was now down to his shoulders and didn't look as weak as I felt. We sat there for a few minutes and I rested my head on his shoulder.

He suddenly turned his head towards mine and our eyes met. He moved his face close to mine so I could feel his warm breath on my cheeks. All at once I found my heart beating faster, and it was impossible for me to calm down.

"I- I love you." I mumbled without thinking. His eyes grew wide suddenly, but he didn't seem at all surprised.

"I know."

He inched in even closer until our lips touched. I never had been so happy in my entire life, but I felt tears collect in my eyes. I no longer cared about Ryuo or any contract. There was purpose behind my objection now... I really meant it when I said that I loved him, because it was something that I had never said before to any man.

His lips were rough and dry, but I didn't care. Besides, mine were probably the same. He held me me tighter as we sat there for a few minutes, just enjoying the moment. after some time, he pulled away, smiling immensely. Finally he pulled me into a hug once more and put his hand behind my head. It almost seemed as if he didn't want me to see his face.

I removed his hand from my head and looked up at his face. The wind tugged at his hair so I could see his eyes clearly. They were the same as usual, brown and surrounded by a scar. But there was a small trace of a tear. At seeing this a single tear trailed down my face and I smiled happily. For the first time since meeting Hayate I was able to see him smile. This wasn't a fake smile… it was real.

"You're not going with Ryou no matter what." He stated seriously. "I love you." his voice cracked. At this point, I couldn't stop a few more tears from coming to my eyes and I buried my face in his shirt and he held me tightly.

I knew... this is where I belonged.

The next day Ryou contacted me and explained how he had paid for all of my expenses and Saya's. Apparently, Hayate had told him I was his and no one else's. At this I should've been outraged, but it made me happy. I thought of Saya and how she was alone. She told me she would never be alone again and would hold her hands up to her heart. I never understood this, but I knew she would be fine. She was a trooper, and she always would be. And I would always be there for her, no matter what.

(Saya)

The day after I woke up in the hospital, I was told someone had taken care of all my house and hospital bills, which I was thankful for. Amaya had come to visit me daily, and I was told I could leave anytime. My body was still very weak, but I wanted to visit Katashi's family and tell them how brave he was. The next morning Amaya and Hayate came with me to their home and once we arrived I hesitated to knock on the door. I knocked quietly and in just a few brief seconds a very beautiful woman opened the door. She was very tall and skinny, with long brain hair and dazzling eyes.

"Umn, I am friends with your son…Katashi," I finished. The harsh expression on the woman's face melted away. She moved to the side to let me in, but Amaya and Hayate stayed behind. When I walked in, she closed the door behind me then she leaded me into a different room. As soon as I walked in I realized this must've been Katashi's room. Comic books were stacked on shelves and a small PC laid on a small fold out table. His room smelled just like him, which for some reason made me smile. His memory would live on in my heart forever.

The woman then led me into the home's living room and sat down on the couch beside me.

"You knew him?" she asked staring me straight in the eyes. I nodded and began to tell her all about our adventures together. Finally, how he saved my life and other people's multiple times.

"I loved him and he loved me," I finished. I felt my eyes begin to moist and I hardened my heart immediately. He told me not to cry so I wouldn't.

"Oh dear, it's alright. It's ok to cry sometimes," she said with a sweet expression. Before I knew it we were both sobbing and I couldn't stop for some reason.

She hugged me and thanked me for taking care of him and told me I could visit anytime. I knew though, I would never come back. The thought of coming back to the place where he once lived. I exited the house and never looked back. My next objective…finding the man responsible for his death and the others. I looked at Amaya and Hayate with a harsh expression and they nodded as if they understood. This is where the story ends, but whether another one begins is up to you.

**Writing this fanfiction was incredibly enjoyable. Arigatou everyone! :') **


	23. A SEQUEL

_**Hey guys!**_

_**My name is Astrid, the person of which Amaya was based off and I'm the best friend of Hiroko, the writer of this story. And I'm here to let you know she is writing A SEQUEL! A follow up story to their lives in the real world. The story will take a "slice of life" feel to it and have to do with getting over old memories and their new lives and will revolve around Saya, Amaya, Hayate, and... no Katashi :( But instead we get Ryou... yay :| **_

**_It'll be called "Fading Memories" So look out for it!_**

**_THANKS_**

**_~Amaya (pfftt no, Astrid) _**


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